It’s an annual tradition. Powell River Kings inviting parents and families of roster players to town for a pair of weekend games and a showcase of the Sunshine Coast. The guaranteed positive weekend was only made better by a pair of solid, well-fought victories and a new season-high for consecutive wins.
On October 26, Powell River entertained Vernon at Hap Parker Arena. The first matchup of the season saw the visitors jump out to an early lead in shots despite Powell River carrying the bulk of the play.
Kings broke through on their first shot of the game as Ben Thomas kicked a puck down below the goal, regathered and found Matt Fawcett in front on the net for a one-timer and his seventh goal of the season.
Vernon tied the game late in the second period before Powell River took another lead after a great start to the third. Ryan Brushett scored on a near identical shot to Fawcett’s, a goal where brand new Kings forward Levi Glasman (acquired before the game from Trail) registered his first point with his new team.
A 2-1 Powell River lead stood until the dying seconds of the third period when Vipers captain Jagger Williamson tied the game to force overtime. With the result, Powell River became the last BC Hockey League team to venture past 60 minutes this season.
Nothing was settled in overtime, so for the first time, a shootout was required. Mitch Williams converted his chance, while Hayden Missler stoned both Vernon attempts. Fawcett ended the game by scoring in the second round for a 3-2 Kings victory. Missler picked up his third win of the season, a 24-save performance.
“Not really a huge fan of the shootout, but I do like that it doesn’t end in a tie,” said Missler. “The key is to let them make the first move and try not to guess. That usually works out a lot better.”
On October 27, Powell River hosted Nanaimo for the fifth game of the season series, which the Kings led 4-0.
Powell River ran up a shot total lead early but Nanaimo broke the deadlock and led 1-0 until the final seconds of the first period. With time winding down, Thomas fired a puck from the right point after a faceoff win. The puck hit Josh Coblenz’s stick on its way through and eventually crawled over the goal line as the buzzer sounded, after ricochets off the post and the goaltender’s stick. The goal stood after a Nanaimo protest, tying the score at one through 20 minutes.
Neal Samanski gave the Kings the lead with a late second period tally before Coblenz added insurance and his third of the season with four minutes remaining in the game. Coblenz completed his first Junior A hat trick with an empty-net goal in the final minute to help the Kings to a 4-1 win.
“We’ve had chances to score this year; I think I miss more than enough for anybody, but it’s definitely a relief to get the monkey off the back,” said Coblenz. “Not scoring is certainly frustrating and anyone who says differently is probably lying, but the game always averages out and if you miss chances or lose games then you’re probably going to have those come back to you.”
Mitch Adamyk earned his eighth win of the year, stopping 21 Nanaimo shots.
The win against Nanaimo was the fourth in a row for a Powell River team sitting second in Island Division standings. It sets up the Kings for a tough road schedule over the coming weeks, beginning Friday, November 2, in Surrey, before games in Wenatchee and West Kelowna that same weekend.
“Surrey’s going to be a good challenge, they’re young and scrappy,” said Kings assistant coach Brock Sawyer. “Wenatchee is another younger team who are very skilled and don’t give up a lot offensively at home, then West Kelowna will be tough for our third game in as many days, and I’m sure [former Kings assistant coach] Geoff Grimwood will have them prepared to play us.”
Following the West Kelowna game, Powell River will venture to Vancouver Island the following weekend before returning home for seven straight games beginning November 16 against Prince George.
