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Prince George Earns Weekend Sweep with 6-3 Win Over Surrey

(Sam De Melo had his second goal in just a week Saturday night, Photo By: Matt Jensen Photography)

Looking for the weekend sweep, the Spruce Kings were also looking to make it 3-0 at home when taking on the Surrey Eagles. Prince George was coming off a 6-1 win over the Nanaimo Clippers, but had lost 2-1 in overtime last week down in Surrey.

The Spruce Kings outshot the Eagles 13-3 in the first period, but took it right down to the wire to finally score. After Surrey rang a puck off the post, Tyler Anderson walked all the way up the ice, and went post in for the 1-0 lead with 12 seconds left. Michael Botiz was huge in net for Surrey in the first, stopping an Anderson shot, as the big defenseman was the trailer on a three-on-one. Later it was the left pad stretching out to deny Chong Lee with the Spruce Kings forward all alone in front of the net.

In the second, it again took a while for the scoring to begin, but Jamie Huber eventually roofed the puck to go ahead 2-0. Walking in from the right faceoff circle, Huber sent the water bottle into the far left corner (furthest this writer has ever seen the bottle fly). Four minutes later Sam De Melo picked the corner as well as he scored his second goal in as many weeks. It took him 48 games to score, but now has two in the last three. The lone power play of the game was awarded to the Eagles, and the top unit scored late. With less than a second remaining in the period, Nick Minerva who scored the OT winner in Surrey ripped one in to finally get Surrey on the board.

The two teams would trade goals in the final frame, and it was Kyle Johnson getting started. After the first four goals being beauties, the goal to start the third was a little lucky. Hovde dumped in a puck that bounced off the back wall, onto the net, and then dropped on the goal line. Johnson was right there to snap in his seventh of the season. Ty Westgard scored on a two-on-one with 15:36 to go on get his team within two at 4-2. The goal was the first for Westgard who joined the team after coming back from the Victoria Royals of the WHL.

Prince George would reinstate the three goal three as Huber scored his second of the game. Brett Mennear won the draw, and at the top of the right circle Huber was able to beat Michael Botiz to make the game 5-2. It took the Eagles 23 seconds to respond as Darius Davidson sent a puck to the middle of the ice, and Jeff Stewart got the perfect tip to beat Tavin Grant.  With the game back within two goals, Surrey would pull their goalie looking to get back and tie the game. A pass off the right glass from Sam De Melo hit Chong Lee, and he went down on a two-on-one with Ben Brar. With Brar getting the empty netter last Friday night against Nanaimo, Lee took the shot, and hit the yawning cage to ice the game at 6-3.

Tavin Grant made 21 saves for the victory to give him a 5-4 record on the season, while Botiz played a spectacular game with a number of highlight saves, but wound up taking the loss with 35 saves. Surrey won the special teams battle going one for one on the man advantage, while Prince George didn’t have a power play the entire game. With the win, the Spruce Kings moved five points ahead of Surrey for third place in the Mainland division. The next six games are at home for PG as they take on Salmon Arm Friday, and Coquitlam on Saturday.

 

Scoring
1st
19:48 PG Tyler Anderson (7) ASST: None
2nd
10:26 PG Jamie Huber (9) ASST: Brett Mennear (19), Adam Burnett (13)
14:49 PG Sam De Melo (2) ASST: Kyle Johnson (11)
19:59 SUR Nick Minerva (5) ASST: Ty Westgard (1), Jacob Dupont(12) (PP)
3rd
1:07 PG Kyle Johnson (7) ASST: Jarod Hovde (10), Ethan de Jong(16)
4:24 SUR Ty Westgard (1) ASST: Jackson Ross (5)
14:26 PG Jamie Huber (10) ASST: Brett Mennear (20)
14:49 SUR Jeffrey Stewart (10) ASST: Darius Davidson (16), Desi Burgart (15)
18:26 PG Chong Lee (8) ASST: None (EN)