The Powell River Kings quest for the Fred Page Cup has again ended a few weeks too short as the team was beaten 3-2 by the Nanaimo Clippers in the Island Division Final on Tuesday night at the Hap Parker Arena, losing the series 4-0.
With early Nanaimo goals setting the Kings on the back foot in the opening three games, a good start was crucial. The Kings got the start they wanted, but failed to score on Nanaimo goaltender Evan Johnson. For the fourth straight game, it was the Clippers to open the scoring, late in the period on the powerplay to make it 1-0. It snapped a streak of 12 consecutive successful penalty kills for the Kings.
Powell River got on the board midway through the second period. Mitchell Hawes notched his first of the playoffs, firing a puck from the right wing and looping it past a screened goaltender for a 1-1 tie. The Kings then took their first lead of the series eight minutes later when Nick Halagian one-timed a Curtis McCarrick pass into the back of the net. It ended Kings streak of 218:54 playing without a lead.
The third period started fast, however it was Nanaimo to get an early goal for a 2-2 game. Then at 13:24, former King affiliate Corey Renwick put the visitors ahead for the final time, guiding his team to a 3-2 victory and a 4-0 sweep of Powell River in the first round. Jeff Smith was busy in net, stopping 33 Nanaimo shots in the loss.
Here’s what Brock Sawyer had to say in the post-game show:
https://soundcloud.com/powell-river-kings/march-22nd-postgame?in=powell-river-kings/sets/asdf
Three Stars of the Game
- Nolan Aibel (Clippers) – 2 goals
- Austin Kamer (Kings) – 2 assists
- Evan Johnson (Clippers) – 44 saves
The loss for the Kings ends their 27th season in the BC Hockey League (BCHL), and leaves the Kings still searching for the team’s first Fred Page Cup. It also hands Nanaimo their second consecutive Island Division title and a trip to the round robin in the third round of the BCHL Playoffs.
The team has 16 players eligible to return for next season, but will lose at least six players ahead of next season as Jeff Smith, Adam Brubacher, Jeremy LeClerc, Rylan Ball, Nick Nonis and Halagian all graduate following their 20 year old seasons.
The Kings will hold a Spring Camp in May in Kamloops to identify potential Kings for future seasons, and then hold their main training camp in August in Powell River. More information is available at powellriverkings.com.
Here is the 2016 sign off from the broadcast, featuring my annual thank you list and our final wrap. One person I forgot to thank was Alicia Baas for her fantastic photos all year!
https://soundcloud.com/powell-river-kings/march-22nd-signoff?in=powell-river-kings/sets/asdf
