For just the second time this season, the Kings came away winners in overtime as Ben Berard cashed in on a partial break in double OT for his 2nd of the game, 21st of the season and a 3-2 win for Powell River in Merritt on Saturday night.
A cautious start from the Kings in the first period as they got used to the unique playing conditions in Merritt. The Centennils would open up an early advantage in shots however it was the Kings to strike first on their 4th shot of the game as Christian Buono stole a puck at centre, got it ahead to Josh Coblenz to go 2-on-1 in with Ben Thomas. Coblenz centred for Thomas to bury his 2nd of the season and it was 1-0.
It stayed that way until the midway point of the 2nd period where the Kings were able to double the lead. On a powerplay the Kings worked the puck up top before finding Ben Berard just above the goal line. An inch-perfect shot beat the goaltender for his 20th of the season and it was 2-0 through 40.
The third period was more of the same with choppy hockey and plenty of neutral regroups. The Kings would find themselves in penalty trouble taking two trips to the box in quick succession. Merritt would capitalize by converting on both a 5-on-3 through Zach Ristou and then again 36 secnods later on a 5-on-4…again via Ristou.
The game stayed tied at 2 through regulation with the Kings going to the powerplay midway through overtime. Unable to convert the game went back to 3-on-3 when the Centennials broke in, but couldn’t cash in on a 3-on-1 break before the Kings sprung Berard back the other way for the game winner.
In net, Alex Rolfe was excellent, stopping 39 shots for his 1st win in the BCHL, in his first start. The Kings improve to 23-13-4-4, and with results out of town going their way they retake a share of the Island Division lead with the Victoria Grizzlies (54 points), while opening up a 5-point gap on the Nanaimo Clippers in 3rd.
Here’s what Brock Sawyer had to say in the postgame show:
Three Stars of the Game
1. Zach Risteau (Centennials) – 2 goals
2. Alex Rolfe (Kings) – 39 saves, 1st BCHL win
3. Ben Berard (Kings) – 2 goals, game winning goal
The Kings look to sweep their final long road trip of the year on Sunday afternoon with the final game of the season against Prince George. The two teams tied 3-3 in Powell River last year. Game time is 3:00pm, with the broadcast on 95.7 CoastFM and HockeyTV (on the ‘home’ side) beginning at 2:40pm.
