All good things must come to an end. For Powell River Kings, a banner season came to halt in Prince George on April 5 courtesy of a late Spruce Kings comeback, with the final dagger coming in overtime for the second straight season.
Following a pair of games at Hap Parker Arena on April 2 and 3 that saw Powell River and Prince George win one each, the Spruce Kings had the opportunity to advance to their first-ever BC Hockey League Fred Page Cup final with a 3-1 series lead heading into game five.
“We played pretty solid for the two games; we deserved a better fate in game four,” said defender Andy Stevens after the 5-4 loss. “Special teams have been huge in this series, they’ve been the difference in some games; we just need to continue to put pucks on net to be successful.”
Thursday’s game five was a tight-checking affair with few offensive chances. Shots read 8-3 Spruce Kings through the opening 20 minutes, however, the game was decidedly closer than the shot totals indicated.
Powell River made three trips to the penalty box in the second period, including a long five-on-three power play for Prince George, but goaltender Matteo Paler-Chow stood tall, kicking out all 26 shots through 40 minutes.
With its season on the line, Powell River came out the better team in the third period, outshot Prince George by an 18-12 margin, and broke the deadlock with just 7:44 remaining on the clock. Kyle Kawamura grabbed a loose puck at the left point and was able to deflect it off a couple of legs at the side of the net and past the goaltender for a 1-0 Powell River advantage.
The score stood until Prince George pulled its goaltender with two minutes remaining and scored shortly afterward on a slapshot from Dylan Anhorn.
Midway through the first overtime period, Spruce Kings captain Kyle Johnson scored the series-winning goal on a scramble play at the side of the goal. The 2-1 final ended Powell River’s season.
“It’s tough, they left it all out there,” said Kings’ coach Brock Sawyer. “You can’t fault our players for their effort, battling adversity all season, and they deserved a better fate tonight.”
Paler-Chow stopped 46 Prince George shots in the loss, earning second-star honours. In a series dominated by special teams, Prince George went zero for four on its power play, while the Kings could not earn a man advantage of their own for the first time this season.
The game was the fourth one-goal game of the series, with the lone exception being Prince George’s 5-1 win in game two.
“This is a tough pill to swallow, but I couldn’t be more proud of the guys in the room for the way they competed and battled all season,” added Sawyer. “Not many teams go through what this team has gone through this year in terms of injuries and adversity, and they’ve really rallied around each other this year. It was a joy to be a part of it.”
Despite the loss, Powell River’s 30th season in the BC Hockey League is still considered a success. The franchise will raise an Island Division championship banner to the rafters in September, while six players will graduate from the program.
Overagers Kevin Obssuth and Jonny Evans are both college-bound to Canisius College and University of Connecticut, while Carmine Buono, Gavin Rauser and Hunter Findlater are all determining their next steps.
Carter Turnbull is also set to move to the NCAA next season, joining Evans at UConn, despite having one more year of eligibility remaining at the junior level. Combined, the six players dressed 879 times in Powell River colours, led by Findlater who finishes his career fifth overall in games played as a King.
“It’s been a tough year, but we accomplished a lot,” said Sawyer. “I don’t think many people expected us to do what we did this season. For a group of teenagers to bond together, to commit to one another, to commit to a new coaching staff, it’s a special program, a special situation.”
Powell River will hold its annual spring camp from May 11 to 13 in Kamloops, and begin the off-season process of recruiting a team to play in the 31st season of Junior A hockey in Powell River in September 2018.
