GAME PREVIEW: CLIPPERS at KINGS

AT

RECORDS: NAN- 18-17-1-3 PR- 28-5-3-2

ROAD < > HOME: NAN: 6-9-0-2 PR: 16-3-0-1

STREAK: NAN: 1 Loss PR: 8 wins

BIG STORY: The Kings meet the Clippers for the sixth and final time this season. The Kings have yet to beat the Clippers at home losing 4-3 and most recently 6-3 on November 23rd. The season series is dead even at 2-2-1-0.

CLIPPERS: Nanaimo is in the midst of a road odyssey,  including  the Christmas break their trip spans over 16 days. The Clippers only won one of their four games on their interior swing before the Christmas break. The Clippers surrendered five or more goals in three of the four games.

This month Nanaimo has been up and down, sporting a 4-5 record in December. Of note the boatmen dropped three in a row and most recently three of their last five. The Clippers have been dogged by bad starts and a faltering penalty-kill.

In their three losses on their interior road trip Nanaimo gave up leads early.  Penticton, Salmon Arm and Westside scored two or more goals in the first period against the Clippers. Salmon Arm scored four in the opening period and Penticton was up three early as well. Also Nanaimo was hampered by their penalty-kill.  Combined, Penticton, Salmon Arm and Westside were six for ten on the power-play. Including the Vees going three for seven and the Warriors and 'Backs being perfect on their chances.

For Nanaimo to be successful tonight they will need to be sharp right from the get go.

KINGS: Powell River is playing some of their best hockey of late. The Kings are riding an eight game winning streak that dates back to November 23rd, which so happens to be the last time they lost to Nanaimo. You could assume that humbling loss at home served as some motivation.

The Kings have been in the festive spirit as well, having not lost in December (6-0 ) including shutouts over Coquitlam and Langley. Also a major reason for the success of late is the Kings turn around on the power-play.

The only negative this season has been the teams struggles with the man advantage. The Kings still only have the 13th best power-play but have made strides lately. In their last five games the Kings are 6 for 26, which works out to about 23 percent. That pace would be good enough for a top six power-play in the BCHL.

WHO'S HOT: Carter Shinkaruk and Teagan Waugh are proving the Kings can hurt you with more then just one line. Shinkaruk is riding a five game assist streak and Waugh has scored in five of his last six games. Matt Garbowsky has five goals in his last five games, three of which came against the Grizzlies December 19th. Andrew Gladiuk has scored in two straight for Nanaimo and has points in his last three games.

INJURY REPORT: The Christmas break has done some good for the Kings injury situation. Cohen Adair, Andrew Pettitt and Justin Bardarson are healthy and back in the line-up. That means Only Breden Forbes (Suspension) is out for the Kings. You could say with all their injury woes this season, the line-up Nanaimo ices tonight is the closest thing they have to a full line-up. Tristan Lowenberger, Kiefer McNaughton, Brett Hartskamp and Todd Gebert are out for Nanaimo. Back is Brayden Jaw and Mike Dopko.

STAT PACK:  The Kings are an impressive 22-1-3-1 when the score the first goal of the hockey game. In Nanaimo's last five games, they have surrendered the first goal three times.

PUCK DROP:  Note the start time tonight is 7pm which means a 6:45pm pre-game show on 95-7 SUN FM. This is Powell River's first game in nine days and last in 2010.Nanaimo is playing their  first game  in ten days.

Happy Holidays



First and foremost, Happy Holidays to all of the readers, and fans of the BCHL. I will do my best to keep the Ramble updated throughout the Christmas break. Over the next few weeks I will share tidbits from around the hockey world and also give my two cents on the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo, NY.

Speaking of which, who do you think will take home the gold this year? Does Canada reclaim gold in enemy territory or do the Americans repeat on home soil? Don't count out the Swedes or the Russians, who will be Canada's first opponent on Boxing Day.

Here's a quick refresher for those who some how might of forgot how last year's final went down.

To our two American players (Chris Williams and Dan Schuler) don't say I have never done anything nice for you.

I worked in Melfort, Saskatchewan last year, just north of Saskatoon, which played host to the tournamnet and had the fortunate pleasure of covering all of the action in person. I was on "assignment" for Canada's New Year's Eve thriller against the U.S. (6-5 SO). Even though Canada won I think red flags were raised in that game. In particular, how they played in their own zone. As Assistant Coach, Geoff Grimwood put it, "The Americans out Canadianed Canada." What he means is the U.S. defeated Canada at their own game, big, physical and fast hockey. I think the Hockey Canada brass took noticed.



One thing I have noticed from the pre-competition games as TSN likes to call them, is the Canucks have great goaltending (Mark Visentin and Oliver Roy) and a big forward group.

Canada is only returning four players, but three will be on the blue-line. I have liked what I've seen thus far from the boys in red & white. Coach Dave Cameron is all about hard fore-checking, defensively responsible hockey. Sound familiar?

Moving in a different direction.....

To help you get through the next 48 hours of junior hockey-less mall mad hours, here's a clip from a recent meeting between two bitter ECHL rivals.

That's the Florida Everblades and the Gwinnett Gladiators sharing the Christmas Spirit.

Here's some more eye candy for you. In my humble opinion, one of the best donnybrooks in recent memory. This one comes from the CHL (Central Hockey League) tier three pro hockey. 

The two teams are the Corpus Christi IceRays and Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. They should beat each other for those gastly names alone.

*My favourite moment, " THAT WILL TEACH YEA TO RUN KEN CARROLL!!!"

On that note,  have a very Merry Christmas and how ever you do celebrate, do it safely.





Holiday Monday

This update comes from gate A1 at the Vancouver International Airport.

The Kings received an early Christmas present this morning from the CJHL.
CLICK HERE


The Kings exchanged their holiday well wishes with one another yesterday, as the players start to make their way home, wherever that may be. Powell River heads into the break as the number one ranked team in the BCHL, and the country. The Kings have a 13 point lead atop the Coastal Conference standings with three games in hand on second place Langley. Many positives to look at indeed.

- The Kings sport a record of 28-5-3-2, which is a staggering winning percentage slightly above .800. Powell River not surpisingly owns the league's best home and road records. What has impressed me most is how they play as well on the road as they do at home. You have to go back to October 23rd in Salmon Arm to find their last regulation loss on the road. That's almost two months.

- Much has been made of the Kings stingy, almost air tight defense. Powell River has a goals against average of 1.66. To put that into perspective, Vernon is second in goals against and has allowed 26 more goals. The seven that have been put together on the blue line are exceeding expectations in a big way.

- Powell River boast two blue liners that will be going to Ohio State University over the next two years. Justin DaSilva and Craig Dalrymple have been imposing forces for the Kings. Their height and speed makes a deadly combination. Those two won't be the only defensemen who will play college puck. I expect both Jon Jutzi and Jason Yee will also find a home in the NCAA. The pair has developed into a top shut down pair and Jutzi is starting to find his rythm on the power-play as well.


- Don't forget about Chris Williams and Braden Pears. Williams is making a name for himself as one of the hardest D-men to play against. He also gets my vote as the most intimdating to look at. Just watch him on the ice, the stare is chilling. Pears at times gets past over as he is the "smallest" of the six. Many also forget he is only 17 and could blosom into a premier defender in the BCHL. He is one of the best skaters I've seen.

- I can't mention the defense without giving credit to the two men who stop the puck. What's left say about Mike Garteig? All he's done is assemble the lowest goals against average, highest save percentage, the most wins and the most shutouts in the BCHL. Some argue is numbers are from the six that play in front of him. However, when I last checked pucks still have to be stopped, and boy does he do a lot of that. I have lost count of how many key saves he has made. Sean Maguire hasn't missed a step either. Mags is second only to Garteig amongst the goaltenders in the league. His athletic ability is second to none and the sky is the limit for the 17 year old.

- When you mention the forward group, Matt Garbowsky and Chad Niddery are the first names to come to mind. The former went into the break in style. Garbowsky registered a hat trick, two of which were power-play markers. Garbs leads the team in goals (25) power-play goals (10) and short handed goals (7). Captain Clutch? Garbowsky's co-captain has been heating up too.

Niddery leads the team in points with 51 and assists with 39 in 35 games this season, about 1.5 points per game.  If you extrapolate those numbers over the remaining 25 games, Niddery is on pace for an 89 point season. That's a 23 point increase from last season. Hey, the other forwards ain't bad either.

Their line-mate, Dan Schuler, is averaging just under a point per game as he has 25 points in 29 games. Remember he's in his first season and has missed what amounts to almost a month due to injuries. Same too goes for Cohen Adair and Andrew Pettitt, who are two thirds of the regular second line. Adair and Pettitt are both expected to be healthy for the 29th. Adair was having a great start before his upper body injury last month. The 19 year old has 28 points on 14 goals. Pettitt was starting to heat up after a slower than anticipated start, before he was also saddled with an upper body injury.

I would be a fool not to mention the emergence of a talented trio. Carter Shinkaruk, Brenden Forbes and Teagan Waugh have stepped up recently to form a new look second line and they have been clicking. Waugh had a five game goal streak snapped against Victoria and Forbes and Shinkaruk were averaging over a point per game in December.


All in all, this team is on the right track as we wind down 2010. Here's to an even greater new year and a deep playoff run.

GAME PREVIEW: GRIZZLIES at KINGS



21-14-0-2 (4th)

Road: 9-8-0-2

27-5-3-2 (1st)

Home: 15-3-0-1

LAST 10:  Victoria -- 5-4-0-1   Powell River -- 8-1-1-0

BIG STORY: The Kings and Grizzlies tangle for the fourth time this season, and second at the Hap Parker Arena. So far it's the Kings who have held court, winning all three meetings by a combined score of 12-6. In the most recent meeting, back on October 2nd, the Kings downed the Grizz' 4-1 at Bear Mountain Arena.

TEAM SCOPE:

VICTORIA: The Grizzlies snapped a three game losing streak with a 5-4 victory on home ice over Alberni Valley last night. Before that the Grizzlies dropped games to Vernon, Trail and Cowichan Valley. This team has been up and down as of late, just look at their last ten games as they are one game above the five hundred mark.

You could excuse Victoria for not having the Christmas spirit. In December the Grizzlies are 2-4-0-1 and 2-3 in their last five games. Over that stretch their goals for and against is dead even at 16. Also the roster the Kings will face tonight is much different than it was in October.

Six players have changed places since the Kings last squared off against the Grizzlies. Gone is former captain Jake Baker, along with Brett Kolins, Ryan Stanimir, Scott Milnthorpe and goaltender Tanner McGaw. In are Graeme Strukoff, Taylor Love, Kyle Aschim and goaltender Cam Gorchynski. Also Bruin MacDonald who was with the club for a short time was dealt to Vernon.

Once this team's roster is settled it will be interesting to see how they play in the new year. The Grizzlies have one of the most talented line-ups, but the question is can they put it all together?

POWELL RIVER:  The Kings will be playing with a shorter bench than they are used to tonight. With Brenden Forbes out due to suspension, Powell River will only dress 11 forwards. That means certain players will have to step up and fill roles that they are otherwise not used to. It isn't all grim news for the Kings.

Justin DaSilva will be back in the line-up as he returns from missing last night's game due to the flu. DaSilva will be a welcome addition to the blue line and on the power play. Give the Kings defense credit as they stepped up in his absence. Jon Jutzi scored on the power-play and Klay Kachur slid back into a regular defensive shift for the first time in well over two months.

Tonight's game will be a much bigger test than what they faced versus Prince George. Victoria wants to prove they can challenge the Kings at the top of the standings and return the feeling of losing at home in this season series.

WHO'S HOT:  Chad Niddery picked up three assists last night and now has nine points in his last eight games. Teagan Waugh scored for the fifth consecutive game, which is a BCHL best.  Brenden Forbes' goal last night gives him six points in his last seven games. Carter Shinkaruk saw his six game point streak come to an end...Michael Colantone is streaking for the Victoria Grizzlies. The Arizona native has three goals and four helpers in his past five games. Keep in mind though that six of those points came in a win over Prince George. Evan Richardson has two goals and five points in the past five games for the Grizz.

INJURY REPORT: Adrew Pettitt, Cohen Adair and Justin Bardarson are still out with their respective injuries.  Brenden Forbes will sit the first of his two game suspension.

STAT PACK:  As they have done in most games this season, the Kings scored the opening goal last night and that's not good news for the opposition. The Kings are 21-1-3-1 when they score first. More impressive is that they have yet to lose in the 24 times when leading after the second period. They have 22 wins and 2 ties.

PUCK DROP: Pre-game show at 7:15pm and the game gets under way at 7:30pm

POWELL RIVER OUT SLUGS PRINCE GEORGE 4-1

That was the scene last night as the Powell River Kings out slugged the Prince George Spruce Kings 4-1. However no one was talking about the scoreline as much as they were talking about the fight card.

In total 111 penalty minutes were dished out, 45 of which belonged to the Kings. Furthermore the two teams combined for 10 fighting majors all of which came in the third period. Chris Williams, Brenden Forbes, Matt Garbowsky, Teagan Waugh and Scott Renner all received fighting majors.

Brenden Forbes received a five minute major and a game misconduct for a hit from behind and is automatically tagged with a two game suspension. He won't be eligible to return until January 2nd in Langley.

If your wondering, the Kings ended up one for eight on the power-play and Prince George was one for three. This game was more one sided then it looked.

Powell River out shot Prince George 52 to 11, including out shooting the Sprucies 18 to 3 in the first period.  The Kings stretched their win streak to seven games and now sit 12 points ahead of Langley for first in the Coastal conference.

GAME LINE UPS

Faiz Khan Nic DeSousa RJ Berra

Lyndon Martell Jujhar Khaira Brandon Watson

Kyle Manlow Connor Tiechko Jeff Earnest

Scott Mackey(AP)  Stephen Ryan Trent Murdoch

Trevor Esau Justin Fillion

Chase Golightly Derek Henderson

Isaac Davies Jamie Lively (AP)

Cameron Large

Kirk Thompson

Scratches: Zac Ashdown and  Bennett Hambrook

Chad Niddery Matt Garbowsky Dan Schuler

Carter Shinkaruk Brenden Forbes Teagan Waugh

Mike Sones Steve Schmidt Scott Renner

Bond Hawryluk Brendon Hawryluk Mitch Ball (AP)

Jon Jutzi Jason Yee

Braden Pears Craig Dalrymple

Chris Williams Klay Kachur

Mike Garteig

Sean Maguire

Scratches: Andrew Pettitt, Cohen Adair, Justin Bardarson and Justin DaSilva (Flu)



GAME PREVIEW: SPRUCE KINGS at KINGS

Prince George native Mike Garteig is featured in today's Prince George Citizen newspaper. Click Here

Congratulations to Spruce King Justin Filllion who has commited to Michigan Tech for next fall. The full article can be found here

Record: 7-30-0-2

Road: 2-17-0-1

Record: 26-5-3-2

Home: 14-3-0-1



 LAST 10:

 Spruce Kings: 1-9-0-0      Kings: 7-1-2

BIG STORY: Two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum meet for the second and final time in Powell River tonight. The Kings and Spruce Kings are separated by 41 points in the BCHL standings. Powell River took the first encounter 5-0 in Prince George on October 20th.

TEAM SCOPE:

SPRUCE KINGS: Prince George has a had a tough go in the BCHL this season. The Spruce Kings are last in the 16 team circuit and have lost 15 of their last 16 games. Prince George's last win came on Dec 11th a 4-2 victory over Quesnel. That's over a month between wins as they last won before that against Salmon Arm on November 5th. At one point in November and into early December PG lost 13 in a row.

During that stretch Ed Demsey was fired as Head Coach and Dave Dupas has since come on board. Dupas is familiar with the BCHL as he was the Head Coach in Williams Lake at the start of last season. This team, you could say, is in it's rebuilding stages as they look to get this franchise back where it once was. The Spruce Kings are only five years removed from their Royal Bank Cup semi-final appearance as hosts in 2006. This year's addition still has some players who can hurt you.

A home town boy leads the team up front. RJ Berra leads the team in points with 51 and in goals with an impressive 31 which is a league best. The 20 year-old is the centre piece of the Spruce Kings offense and will be relied on heavily throughout the rest of the season. Berra is joined by two other 20 year-olds that chip in on the offensive end.

Nic DeSousa and Justin Fillion have 75 points between them this season. What's impressive about Fillion is that his point total comes from the blue line as he is the team's top defenseman.

* DeSousa and Berra recorded their 100th BCHL point on the same goal against Coquitlam on Wednesday.

Another promising piece is 16 year-old Jujhar Khaira, who has 27 points as a rookie. Khaira was featured in an October issue of The Hockey News magazine

KINGS: Powell River is playing some of their best hockey of late, as they are riding a six game win streak. That was good enough for the Kings to climb to number one in the CJHL rankings. Powell River recorded roads wins over Langley (4-0) and Surrey (3-1) last week. What  impresses me  is that the Kings have not lost since dropping a 6-3 home decision to Nanaimo on November 23rd. That shows how the team has responded after a less than stellar effort. The Kings have been winning in spite of their struggling power-play, something that isn't often uttered.

The power-play is third last in the BCHL at a shade over 18 percent. However, the team did show signs of improvement in Surrey scoring twice on the man advantage in the 3-1 win. The coaching staff has said it needs to improve and the team spent a lot of time this week on special teams play.

The defense remains air tight for Powell River. The team is running away with the leagues best goals against average. Entering tonight's game, the Kings sport a 1.69 goals against which is almost a full goal less than their closest competitor.

WHO'S HOT: Teagan Waugh has come back from an injury with a bang. The 18 year-old has scored in four straight games which is tops in the BCHL. His linemate, Carter Shinkaruk, has assists in five consecutive games and Brenden Forbes has points in five of his last six. That line has 16 points in their last six contests. On the other side of the ledger, RJ Berra has been on fire for Prince George. The native son has a 12 game point streak and has scored in three straight contests. Nic DeSousa has points in his last three and Lyndon Martell has put up points in five straight games.

INJURY REPORT: Cohen Adair, Andrew Pettitt and Justin Bardarson remain out for the Kings. Also Justin DaSilva will sit tonight's game out with the Flu.

LOCAL DEBUT:  With four regulars out of the lineup for the Kings, they have called up Powell River Minor Hockey product Mitch Ball to make his first BCHL appearance.  Mitch has 18 goals and 15 assists to go along with 14 penalty minutes in 29 games with the Comox Valley Glacier Kings in the VIJHL.  Mitch is a young and exciting prosepect with a lot of potential.

STAT PACK: The Kings are 20-1-3-1 when they score first this season and are 21-0-2-0 when they have a lead after two periods. Suffice to say Prince George can't go down early to the Kings tonight.