Photo: Damon James – Island Images Photography
The Prince George Spruce Kings got 29 saves from Ryder Green and scoring from all four lines in a 5-1 victory over the Nanaimo Clippers on Wednesday night at Frank Crane Arena.
The Clippers opened the scoring at 3:58 when Samuel Boisvert beat Green on the glove side off the rush.
The Spruce Kings trailed the Clippers on the shot clock by a 9-2 margin just after the media timeout, but started to turn things around and were rewarded at 14:04 when Jackson Froysland tied the game.
It was a great play at centre by Dominic Szczygiel to lift a stick to start the rush, as Ryan Wachtel earned the second assist.
Michael Denney scored the lone goal of the second period as he gathered a puck in the slot and fired back against the grain to beat Eliot Séguin-Lescarbeau and make it 2-1.
Green would steal the show late in the second period with a sequence of three big saves, and kicked off the third with a highlight reel robbery with the glove hand to keep the Spruce Kings ahead.
The Spruce Kings made it 3-1 at 2:59 when Ozbej Rep’s wrist shot from the point beat the netminder for Rep’s second of the season from Mathis Laplante and Spencer Masters, after Master’s won a key offensive faceoff to set it up immediately.
Carter Hesselgrave would score at 12:53 on a deflected puck that just crossed the line and held up after review.
Mason Loewen scored in the final minute from Rep and Fraser Leonard to make it 5-1.
Green earned 1st star for his 29-save performance as Denney and Rep earned 2nd and 3rd stars respectively.
The Spruce Kings are in Duncan on Friday at 7:00 to take on the Cowichan Capitals. Catch the game on 99.3 REWIND Radio.
