Prince George goaltender Brad Cooper got his first BCHL start between the pipes for the Spruce Kings Saturday night, and would lift the home team to a third win of the 2017-18 season.
The Spruce Kings defeated the Eagles by a score of 4-1, winning the weekend series and improving their Mainland Division lead to three points.
Cooper made 36 saves on 37 shots, while Surrey’s starting goaltender Daniel Davidson got the loss by letting in four goals on 32 shots.
For a second consecutive game, PG forward Patrick Cozzi got the ball rolling scoring the game’s first goal, his team-leading fourth of the season just under four minutes in.
Surrey’s John Wesley would score the lone tally of the weekend for the green and blue, potting a rebound on the power-play from Ty Westgard and Jeffery Stewart.
The contest’s next goal came in the final two minutes of the middle frame, courtesy of Spruce Kings’ D-man Liam Watson-Brawn deflecting a Ben Poisson pass from the corner.
With the score standing at 2-1 after 40 minutes, Prince George took advantage of a tired Eagles’ flock as Captain Kyle Johnson dangled the puck around Davidson, increasing the home team’s lead to 3-1.
Surrey’s netminder was pulled after a Jarod Hovde goal four minutes later, but the 4-1 scoreboard would stay the same with Alex Horawski in net.
Prince George’s record remains undefeated at 3-0-1-0, while Surrey record drops to 1-2-1-0.
The Spruce Kings took all the stars of the night with Watson-Brawn, Dylan Anhorn, and Cooper getting First, Second, and Third respectively.
Poisson was named the Fortis BC Energy Player of the Game for his one assist and offensive performance in all corners of the ‘Castle.’
The red, white, and blue will hit the road next weekend to the Lower Mainland for the 2017 BCHL Bauer Showcase, along with the other 16 teams in the league.
Prince George will face the Merritt Centennials Friday morning at 10AM, followed by a Saturday showdown with the Victoria Grizzlies at 4PM; both games are being played at Chilliwack’s Prospera Centre.
The Spruce Kings will then play three road games in Surrey, Coquitlam, and Merritt respectively, returning home to face the Eagles once more in another weekend series, October 6th and 7th at the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena (RMCA).
SUMMARY:
| 1st | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:49 | PG | Patrick Cozzi (4) ASST: Ben Brar (5), Dustin Manz (6) | |
| 16:25 | SUR | John Wesley (4) ASST: Ty Westgard (4), Jeffrey Stewart (3)(PP) | |
| 2nd | |||
| 18:17 | PG | Liam Watson-Brawn (2) ASST: Ben Poisson (2), Shawn Kennedy (2) | |
| 3rd | |||
| 9:04 | PG | Kyle Johnson (2) ASST: Liam Watson-Brawn (3), Dylan Anhorn(3) | |
| 13:20 | PG | Jarod Hovde (3) ASST: James Orr (2), Nick Sutter (1) |
