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Welsh Sparks Spruce Kings Win

The Prince George Spruce Kings got a pair of goals from Nolan Welsh to take a 3-0 series lead in the Coastal Conference Final with a 4-2 win over the Victoria Grizzlies on Monday night.

After a scoreless first period in which the Spruce Kings outshot the Grizzlies 22-9, it was Victoria who got on the board first as Riley Hughes tapped home an Alex Newhook pass to open the scoring.

Prince George responded right away as Lucas Vanroboys put home a loose puck from a Corey Cunningham shot from the slot to tie the game.

Just three minutes later, Layton Ahac made it 2-1 by burying a perfect shot from the left circle over the shoulder of Kurtis Chapman.

With the Spruce Kings shorthanded for the first time in the game,  Welsh chipped the puck past Carter Berger and was held up trying to get free. Berger lost his helmet in the effort and had to leave the ice, while Ben Poisson and Dylan Anhorn started ahead. Joined by Welsh in a 3-on-1, Poisson fed Anhorn who found Welsh to finish it off.

Victoria scored on the power play to make it 3-2 late in the second period, but Welsh deflected Ahac’s point shot on the power play in the third to make it a 4-2 game.

The Spruce Kings would allow just 6 shots in the final period, finishing with a 46-29 edge for the game.

Prince George went 1/1 on the man advantage, while Victoria went 1/5.

Game 4 goes Tuesday night at the Q Centre in Victoria, with puck drop set for 7:00. You can listen to the pre-game show with Kyle Anderson starting at 6:45 on 93.1 CFIS FM or online at www.cfisfm.ca