Early Lead Sparked Spruce Kings Past Silverbacks

By Kelly Sharp

     Kings goalie Jordan White looks on as Nicholas Rioux pulls away from forechecking

     Salmon Arm forward Brian Volpei in game two of the BCHL playoff series

Ask the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and one bad period cost them a 2-0 lead heading home for the next three games of the BCHL Interior Conference quarter final.

The Prince George Spruce Kings pulled a three sixty from game one and charged onto Coliseum ice building a 4-1 lead after the first period on their way to a 7-5 victory over Salmon Arm Silverbacks and  a 1-1 tie in the best of seven opening playoff round.

“If we came out with the same kind of emotion and workmanlike attitude in the first period that we did in the second and third I am pretty confident we would have come out with 2-0 series lead,” Salmon Arm head coach Ty Davidson said.

“We were skating, crashing the net in the first period,” Kings defenseman Nicholas Rioux said. The Kings attack was led by Tyler Helfrich who had a 4-point night including assisting on Jesse Fratkin’s goal only 20 seconds into the opening period.

The ‘Backs outscored the Kings 3-1 in the second period to trail 5-4 after 40 minutes.

Dylan Exton rapped in a rebound early in the third period as the Kings restored a two goal lead. Salmon Arm’s Erik Spady scored his second of the night late in the third period to provide some tense moments for the 765 at the Prince George Coliseum.

A rink long clearing shot by Rioux found the empty net to send the series into a best-of-five.

Rioux noted the Kings allowed Salmon Arm too many odd man rushes on a night Jordan White bailed out Spruce King defensemen on several occasions.

After the game the two teams headed on the road for an 8 hour bus ride before facing off tonight in Salmon Arm for game three.

“The team who wants it more and comes out to play will take the game,” Davidson said.

The Spruce Kings will be without head coach Ed Dempsey and Dylan Exton  for game three, both are suspended one game because Exton was assessed the Kings second goaltender interference penalty  in the 7-5 victory.

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