Following the BC Hockey League’s All-Star break, the Prince George Spruce Kings (18-13-2-1) will be in the comfort of their own home this weekend for a trio of games against the Trail Smoke Eaters to wrap up the month of January.
REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE VS. TRAIL SMOKE EATERS (SPRUCE KINGS LEAD SEASON SERIES 1-0)
Friday, November 18th @ Cominco Arena (4-3 Spruce Kings) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, January 27th @ Kopar Memorial Arena (7:00 PM)
Saturday, January 28th @ Kopar Memorial Arena (7:00 PM)
Sunday, January 29th @ Kopar Memorial Arena (3:00 PM)
Saturday, February 4th @ Cominco Arena (7:00 PM)
Following the BCHL All-Star Weekend in Penticton, it’s back to the grind for the Spruce Kings as they get ready for back-to-back three-game weekends. First up will be a triple-header at home against the Trail Smoke Eaters.
Prince George went into the All-Star break on a positive note, defeating the Wenatchee Wild in the fifth and final game of their season series at the Town Toyota Center south of the border. The Spruce Kings won 4-1, winning the season series by the same score as Aidan Feddema earned a 28-save victory.
Against Wenatchee, Spruce Kings forward John Herrington scored his 100th career point as he earned an assist to reach the milestone. It took the Hudson’s Hope product 118 games to reach the century mark in the BCHL.
Some other milestones clinched during the Spruce Kings’ last game were a pair of career game totals. Amran Bhabra completed his 150th game in the BCHL and Ben LeFranc played in his 100th game.
Entering this weekend, the Spruce Kings have the league’s 8th-best powerplay unit, operating at 21.1 per cent. The Smoke Eaters sit immediately behind them at 21.0 per cent. Meanwhile, the Spruce Kings’ penalty kill is still working to improve on what was a dismal end to 2022. Currently, Prince George is sitting 12th in the league (76.9 per cent) when they find themselves at the disadvantage.
The Spruce Kings and Smoke Eaters have met once already this season back in November. The Spruce Kings won 4-3 at Cominco Arena with John Herrington scoring the game-winner with 1:10 remaining in the game. Herrington scored a pair that night.
Kilian McGregor-Bennett will be playing his 100th career game in the BCHL on Friday.
Friday will mark the first time Jack Kurrle will face his former team since being traded to PG on December 1. Kurrle scored the opening goal in that lone meeting between the two clubs back in November.
Spruce Kings Leading Scorers:
John Herrington (17-15-32)
Jake Schneider (14-13-27)
Austin Fraser (10-16-26)
Luca Primerano (6-18-24)
Kilian McGregor-Bennett (7-16-23)
Smoke Eaters Leading Scorers:
Brady Hunter (8-21-29)
Mathieu Cobetto-Roy (9-19-28)
Nicholas Remissong (14-10-24)
Trey Fechko (9-14-23)
Evan Bushy (3-20-23)
On Friday, January 27th at 7:00 PM, CKPG presents Not a School Night as students and their families from across Prince George and area come to the game and cheer on their hometown Spruce Kings.
Four lucky teachers will compete in the 1st intermission Knockerball game, with the winning team’s schools earning a visit from the Spruce Kings. To nominate your child’s teacher for the Knockerball game, please e-mail tickets@sprucekings.bc.ca.
Discounted tickets are available, and the ticket link has been shared with all schools.
Saturday, January 28th at 7:00 PM, the Spruce Kings welcome all participants and their families from the Prince George Minor Hockey Association’s Female Jamboree for the middle game of the 3-game set.
Sunday, January 29th is a special afternoon puck drop of 3:00 PM, as the Spruce Kings present Youth Day inviting all youth organizations to attend the afternoon game. There will be a post-game skate with the players after this game, with the Spruce Kings and North Edge Sports providing skate rentals free of charge. Helmets are mandatory.
Discounted tickets are available, and the ticket link has been shared with youth organizations all around Prince George.
The Spruce Kings will play their fifth and final game against the Smoke Eaters next weekend for the middle game of a three-in-three road trip on Saturday, February 4 at 7:00 PM at Cominco Arena. The game can be streamed online on BCHLTV.ca.
