Adam Crosby scored the game winner at 8:08 of the third period and Cody Arnold made 26 saves in a 2-1 Prince George Spruce Kings victory over the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Thursday night.
Prince George would have a 4-minute power play in the opening frame, but would take a penalty to end the second half of that advantage. The Spruce Kings struggled to generate offense until the final few minutes of the frame.
In the final 30 seconds of the opening period, Ryan Wachtel had his shot stopped by Evan Maillet, but Dominic Szczygiel followed up, finding the loose puck below the goal line. He would manage to lift it over the pad of Maillet into the crease, where Max Mahoney knocked it out of the air with just three seconds on the clock to make it 1-0.
The Spruce Kings would get three power plays early in the second stanza, including a lengthy 5 on 3, but couldn’t convert.
Kole Keen tied the game with a nice solo effort, beating Arnold over the blocker after deking through the Prince George defenders.
In the third, Noah Smith’s dump in landed right back inside the line off the glass, and Ethan Stewart got to it in the slot and sent it on goal, as Crosby crashed to the front of the net and put it past Maillet for the 2-1 lead.
In the final moments of the game, Arnold made his best save of the night, stretching his left pad out to rob the Capitals of the equalizer.
With the win, the Spruce Kings move to 8-3 on the season and into a tie for first with the Coquitlam Express atop the Coastal East Division.
The Spruce Kings will enjoy a day off on Friday, before heading to Alberni Valley Saturday for a 6 PM puck drop against the Bulldogs. They’ll wrap up seven straight on the road with a 2 PM Sunday matinee in Victoria against the Grizzlies.
