Battle Royale: Kings @ Spruce Kings

Record: 2-12-0-2 (8th)
Home Record: 2-6-0-1
Last 5: 0-5-0-0

The Spruce Kings have struggled out of the gate in the BCHL. Prince George does own the BCHL's worst record and are in the midst of a five game losing streak.  Those losses came on their recent Island road trip, which saw them surrender 29 goals over that span, including a 10-5 thumping in Nanaimo.

Though Ed Dempsey's club is having a tough go, there are bright spots on this team.

Forwards:
Native son, RJay Berra is putting together a solid 20 year old season. The Prince George product, has amassed 19 points, 10 of which are goals in 16 games. He is supported by another 20 year-old in Nic DeSousa who has collected 17 points through 16 contests. This team is also getting production from their younger faces.

19 year-old Chris Bodo, one of two players committed to an NCAA institution, has chipped in with 15 points. The St. Thomas, Ontario, native came over from Stratroy Kings where he lead his team in regular season and playoff scoring. However one fresh face is receiving quie a bit of attention around the league.

Jujhar Kharia (Judge-ar Care-ah) is a 16 yer-old who has made quite the first impression. The native of Surrey, sits fourth in team scoring and has received plenty of media attention.

The Hockey News wrote a piece on Kharia, you can read it by clicking here.

This team can score, however the issue is, can they keep pucks out?

Defense:
The Kings have surrendered a league high 78 goals against in 16 games. On average, that's just a shade under five goals per game. Team defense, is one area that has burned the Spruce Kings this season. One bright spot on the back end, is the play of Justin Fillion. The rear guard has collected 14 points  in 16 games, which accounts for the majority of the offense from the blue line. After that it gets thin, as Derek Henderson has 4 points in 16 games.

Tonight will be a tall order to keep the Powell River Kings attack at bay for 60 minutes.

Goaltending

Kirk Thompson could be the busiest player on the ice tonight. The rookie from Surrey, has been busy all season for the Sprucies. He and Alex Wright are the men between the pipes for Prince George. Wright is 20 year-old from PG who has played 34 games in the past two seasons. So it's safe to say they don't have a lot of experience in net.

Record: 10-3-1-1 (2nd)
Road Record: 3-1-1-0

Last 5 games: 4-0-0-1

The Kings have now won two in a row and four of their last five games. In fact, the Kings have recorded at least a single point in  seven straight games.

Two recent trends that drew some concern was the lack of finish and special teams. Well if last night is any indication, this team is on the right track. The Kings scored once on the power-play in three opportunites and held the Millionaires without a power-play goal in four opportunities. Furthermore, the team has now scored 10 goals in their last three games.

Forwards:
Touched on in last night, but it's worth mentioning once again. The line of Cohen Adair, Chad Niddery and Drew Pettitt have been on a role. Adair and Niddery had four point between them and could of had more if it wasn't for Kirby Halcrow.

The Kings are also getting key contributions from their bottom six. Carter Shinkaruk was in the middle of the Hawryluk twins looked great. Shink' was great down the middle, creating opportunities for the brothers, and looked in his element. Brendan and Bond are turning into a nice addition for this hockey team.

Matt Garbowsky, underrated?

The St. George, Ontario Native scored his 8th of the year, on the power-play, tying for the team lead with Niddery. Garbowsky could be lobbied as one of the best, if not the best, two way centres in the BCHL. The co-captain is a quiet guy off the ice. However he makes lots of noise with his play on it.

Defense:

The back end battled and survived the tight confines of the Vault in Quesnel last night. You have to admire their ability to adapt their game to the smaller ice surface, and suppress a Quesnel attack that came at the Kings in waves at times.

Jason Yee and Jon Jutzi, once again, are developing into a solid shut down pair.

Goaltending:

The prodigal son returns home for Powell River. Mike Garteig will most likely get the start in goal, in his home town no less. Garteig would most likely want the first goal back, however, the other two can't be pinned on him. He looked great in the late going, thwarting the Mills' comeback attempt.