Photo Credit: Vicki Brown
PRINCE GEORGE- It’s been more than 12 hours since the Prince George Spruce Kings beat the Langley Rivermen in overtime, and I think it’s safe to say the fans at Kopar Memorial Arena still haven’t caught their breath.
In what was maybe the game of the year for the Spruce Kings, Prince George clawed back from a 4-1 deficit in the third period to win 5-4.
The first ten minutes of the game saw both teams feel each other out before all the action started.
Langley would strike first. Lincoln Hjelm (’06) used his speed down the wing to get in a shooting position. From there, Hjelm picked his spot and rifled the puck over the shoulder of Ryan Sanborn (’05) for his first goal of the season.
It didn’t take long for the Spruce Kings to respond. Just over a minute later, Kilian McGregor-Bennett (’03) would throw a puck to the net on the power play. On the way there, the shot would hit a few different players, ultimately ending up in the Langley goal for McGregor-Bennett’s ninth of the season. 1-1 the score after the first period.
The second period would be ugly for Prince George. Langley would score three consecutive goals, all within ten minutes. Defensive breakdowns and bad goaltending would be at fault. 4-1 the score after 40 minutes.
All of that would change in the third period. J.R. Perdion (’03) would give the Spruce Kings hope just four and a half minutes into the period. Then, just two minutes later, Lucas Veilleux (’05) would make it 4-3. Finally, the 20-year-old Kai Greaves (’03) would laser his first goal of the season past the Rivermen starting goalie, Liam Hallett (’05), and tie the game.
The Spruce Kings would be tested again just moments later. Attempting to win a faceoff, Jared Langdon (’06) threw the blade of his stick high, clipping the Rivermen forward. Langdon would be assessed a double minor for high-sticking.
On the back of strong penalty killing and a heroic save from Sanborn, who dove across his crease to rob Luke Ashton (’05) of his second goal of the game, the Spruce Kings forced overtime.
In the extra frame, Skogen Schrott played the role of hero. Almost four minutes into overtime, Schrott picked up the puck in the corner at the end of an incredible shift, walked to the top of the slot and let a laser beam go, beating Hallet over the shoulder. The comeback was complete. The Spruce Kings won 5-4.
Game Summary
Scoring
Prince George: K. McGregor-Bennett (9), J. Perdion (6), L. Veilleux (3), K. Greaves (1), S. Schrott (5)
Langley: L. Hjelm (1), L. Ashton (8), E. Riesterer (2), V.Levyy (11)
Goaltending
Ryan Sanborn (W) 63:52 (4GA 30 saves)
Liam Hallett (L) 63:52 (5GA 25 saves)
Power play
Prince George: 1/3
Langley: 0/5
Next Game: The Prince George Spruce Kings now hit the road and head to Penticton for their third date of the season with the Vees. You can watch the game on FloHockey and listen live on 99.3 Rewind Radio.
