The Prince George Spruce Kings dropped the opening game of their 2022 Exhibition Season on Thursday night, falling 6-5 to the Merritt Centennials.
Prince George would open the scoring on a goal from Luca Primerano, as he deposited a rebound from a Ben LeFranc point shot past John Hicks to make it 1-0.
Merritt tied the game up almost immediately after, scoring a weird goal from behind the goal line that beat Spruce Kings starter Aidan Feddema.
Ty Gagno responded just 1:13 later as he picked up a loose puck in the slot and beat Hicks to give Prince George their second lead of the night, as Adam Mendelson and Aleksy Bandu grabbed the helpers.
Jackson Krill of the Centennials picked up his first of four on the night to tie the game 2-2 just 32 seconds later as the period ended in a deadlock.
The Centennials took a 3-2 lead early in the middle frame, before Spruce Kings and Centennials traded goals with Gagno and Krill each getting their second of the night, as the Merritt finished 40 minutes ahead 4-3.
The third period was Krill’s as well as he potted another pair to give Merritt a 6-3 lead with 3:09 remaining.
John Herrington would beat Hicks once with a wrist shot at 17:37, and again with a familiar one-timer on the power play at 19:25, but Prince George couldn’t get the equalizer and fell 6-5.
The Spruce Kings return to the Prince George Coliseum next week for a pair of games, hosting the Centennials on Wednesday September 14th, and the Salmon Arm Silverbacks on Thursday September 15th. Tickets are available now at the links below.
EXHIBITION TICKETS
September 14th vs Merritt – https://bit.ly/Sep14Merritt
September 15th vs Salmon Arm – https://bit.ly/Sep15SalmonArm
Tickets can also be purchased at the Spruce Kings Office between 9 AM and 4 PM Monday to Friday, and after 6 PM on game days at the box office.
