They say a playoff series never truly begins until one team loses at home. By that adage, Powell River Kings were well underway in their BC Hockey League Island Division final series against Victoria Grizzlies after capturing a pair of wins in the capital city over the weekend.
A rematch of last year’s island final came about when Powell River dispatched Nanaimo in six games and Victoria came from behind to beat Alberni Valley in seven.
Heading into game one on March 16, Victoria had won three of the last four playoff matchups between the teams, including a game-seven, double-overtime win in 2017.
Kings showed their bus legs out of the gate, allowing the Grizzlies to jump out to an early lead on shots. But the Kings drew first blood on the scoreboard as Carmine Buono pinched up from his defence position, received a pass from Nick Abbott and scored to give the Kings a 1-0 lead.
Powell River took control in the second period, despite three Victoria power plays, including a full two-minute five-on-three. Ben Berard and Ben Thomas scored for the visitors, who led 3-0 lead through 40 minutes.
Carter Turnbull put the game out of reach early in the third period and Josh Coblenz scored into an empty net late as the Kings skated to a 5-1 win. Matteo Paler-Chow stopped 25 Victoria shots in the win.
“They came out strong and were pretty physical, putting us on our heels a little bit,” said Buono. “The goal really changed the way we were playing, got us excited and we started taking it to them. We played great in the second, got the job done and got the win.”
Following the game, Powell River coach Brock Sawyer reiterated the importance of scoring the first goal.
“To go into the first intermission with a lead after not playing our best was good for us; we regrouped and came out in the second much better,” said Sawyer. “The score says 5-1, but it definitely wasn’t a 5-1 game. They had chances and Matteo stood on his head, and the guys in front cleared out opportunities when they came.”
With the win, Kings took home-ice advantage away from the top-seeded Grizzlies, however, a win in game two would put the team firmly in the driver’s seat.
Powell River came out as the better team on March 17, outshooting Victoria early on, and scored first for the second straight night when Hunter Findlater converted on a rush for a 1-0 advantage.
Early in the second period, Kyle Kawamura scored to make it 2-0, then midway through the period Josh Coblenz scored on a breakaway to make it 3-0.
Grizzlies scored a messy goal around the net to end the second period, then closed the gap to one late in the third, but Kings held on for a 3-2 win and a 2-0 series lead. Paler-Chow stopped 39 shots and earned first star honours for the second straight night.
“We’ll enjoy this, have the day off Sunday and get to work on Monday in game three,” said Sawyer. “We can’t take this for granted. We have to keep working on our game, do the little things right and do that consistently.”
On March 19, Powell River started off slow at home, only to rebound and score the first goal. Berard converted to make it 1-0 after Turnbull drove the net. The game stayed that way until the third period when Victoria scored three times unanswered, including an empty-net goal, to win game three by a score of 3-1. Paler-Chow took the loss, stopping 30 of 32 Victoria shots.
Results from game four on Tuesday, March 20, were not available at press time.
Game five takes place in Victoria on Friday, March 23. Game six, if necessary, is scheduled for 7 pm on Saturday, March 24, in Powell River.
