Another 4 Point Night
Prince George, BC – After the Surrey Eagles (16-19-2-4) scored 4 2nd period goals to help propel them to a 4-3 win over the Prince George Spruce Kings (14-22-2-3) last night, these 2 teams get set for what’s shaping up to be a feisty rematch this evening. Another huge game for these 2 teams, with the Eagles looking to extend their lead for 4th place in the BCHL’s Mainland Division to 7 points.
Look for tonight to be a feisty game, as both teams were chirping each other in the final seconds of Friday night’s game. In net, look for Reece Klassen to man the crease after getting his first BCHL win last night. For the full lineup, check out our social media channels later today.
Who To Watch Out For
With such a monumental win last night, the Eagles will try to win all 4 games against the Spruce Kings in Prince George. With Langley having a day off today, the Eagles can move to within 1 point behind the Rivermen for 3rd place in the division standings. The Spruce Kings will look to foil that outcome, as they’ll play to avoid losing valuable ground in the standings. Last night, both teams had a player who scored 2 goals, and they’re our players to watch out for tonight.
Surrey Eagles: Carter King
King admitted his first goal in Prince George was just him being in the right place at the right time. Last night, King scored 2 goals on purpose, including one while killing off a 5 on 3, to help lead the Eagles offensive attack. The Calgary native has had a strong rookie season, with 9 goals and 18 points in 41 games. He’ll look to continue his strong play in Prince George, where he has 3 goals on the year.
Prince George Spruce Kings: Nicholas Poisson
The leading scorer on the Spruce Kings scored his team’s 1st and 3rd goals of the game, but it wasn’t enough. Poisson has enjoyed success this year, and will look to continue his success against the Eagles this year. The Vancouver native has scored 3 goals and has 6 points in 5 games against Surrey on the year, while enjoying a 15 goal, 35 point campaign. Poisson will look to be good tonight, in a must win game for the Spruce Kings.
3 Keys To The Game
With so much at stake, both teams will be playing at their absolute best. The Eagles will need to be ready, as with the way the game ended on Friday the physicality should be taken up a notch. The Eagles will need to continue to do some things they did last night if they want to win all 4 games in Prince George on the season.
- Special Teams: It was an odd night for the Eagles special teams. They went 0 for 2 on the powerplay, and gave up a powerplay goal. However, the Eagles scored a goal 5 on 3 for their first goal of the game. It was great to see the Eagles score down 2 men, but the boys need to be better with the man advantage, and lock things down on their penalty kill in order to win tonight.
- Don’t Back Down: The Eagles did a great job of throwing the body last night, and fighting for every loose puck in the corners. With the way things ended last night, the boys should expect a much more energized Spruce Kings team looking to avoid getting swept on home ice. The Eagles can’t back down, and need to continue their strong play from last night.
- Secondary Scoring: The other big factor for the Eagles last night was that all 4 lines contributed to the scoring. Each line had a player who got at least a point on the night, making it difficult for the Spruce Kings to match up defensively. Look for more of the same tonight in the 2nd game of the back to back.
Summary
There’s a ton at stake for both teams tonight as they’ll get set for the 2nd game of the back to back inside the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. The Eagles will look to climb to within 1 point of the Rivermen for 3rd in the division, as well as extend their lead to 7 points for 4th in the division in the process. The Spruce Kings will look to avoid falling too far behind the division as the season trucks along. Both teams don’t like each other, and that sets up an exciting game on a Saturday night in Prince George, BC.
You can catch tonight’s broadcast on HockeyTV and Mixlr; Cole Marton will have the call from the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. Broadcast will start at 6:50pm, and puck drop is at 7:00 pm.
