Prince George BC – Goals from Mason Waite and Nolan Welsh, backed by big saves by Jett Alexander was not enough as the Spruce Kings got doubled up by the Coquitlam Express 4-2.
In the opening frame, it was at 3:42 when Steven Bellini’s point shot hit a body in front of the goal and ended up going top corner on Jett Alexander for the Express to start the scoring. A few minutes later, the Spruce Kings found themselves on the man advantage and were able to execute. For a 3rd straight game, a Mason Waite point shot on the man advantage found the back of the net. Waite’s 5th of the year sent the Socks, Toques, Mittens, etc. onto the ice for the big Drop the Gloves and Sock It To ‘Em goal. Just over two minutes later, the Express answered. Will Margel got a cross ice feed from Greg Lapointe to regain the Express lead. That marker came at 16:00 of the first. 46 seconds later, the captain Nolan Welsh responded. Welsh shovelled home a rebound past Clay Stevenson to once again tie the game at two. The game remained tied after the opening 20.
At the 11:01 mark of the second frame, Preston Brodziak hit defenceman Steven Bellini from behind into the end boards, resulting in a 5-minute major and game misconduct, ending his night. Bellini did not return to the game either. The Express found themselves on a 5-minute power-play and converted. A point shot from Drew Cooper went glove side on Alexander to give the Express a 3-2 lead in the second frame. Coquitlam outshot Prince George 17-5 in the second period. The Spruce Kings were down a goal after forty minutes.
In the final frame, the Spruce Kings had some good chances, including a crossbar, but were unable to find the back of the net. Greg Lapointe had the dagger on a backdoor feed from Nick Carabin and deposited the puck past Alexander to give Coquitlam a 4-2 win.
The Spruce Kings wrap up the home-stand tomorrow night against the Express at the RMCA. Tickets are available through the Spruce Kings website, and you can also get them at the office which opens up at noon. If you are unable to make it, you can listen on mixlr.com/sprucekings or on HockeyTV.
3 STARS
- Will Margel (COQ)
- Mason Waite (PG)
- Drew Cooper (COQ)
FORTIS ENERGY PLAYER OF THE GAME : Nolan Welsh (PG)
