By: Dante De Caria | Photo: Alicia Baas
Powell River, BC – The Powell River Kings (29-23-6) finished off the regular season with a 5-1 victory over the Victoria Grizzlies (24-44-1) in front of 865 fans on Saturday evening at the Hap Parker Arena.
The Kings end the season with 29 wins, and 64-points, good for third in the Island Division and T-6th in the BCHL. The club also finishes over .500 for the sixth straight season, and with at least 29 victories for the fifth year in a row.
Jack Long played in his final regular season game, and finished it with a story book ending. His 231st game in a Kings uniform ended with a goal and an assist, while also giving the Kings a 4-1 lead late in the third.
Things started similar to the night before (Friday, 5-2 W), as the Kings had a 2-1 lead after one. This time, the Kings broke it wide open in the third period, scoring three goals, and earning the double-header sweep.
It was Levi Glasman’s 22nd of the season that gave the Kings the lead in the first period. Devin Leduc drove the net for a rebound, and Glasman jammed it home for goals in three straight games. In the third, Ethan Schmunk scored his 13th, Jack Long netted his 6th, and Rowan Miller picked up his 8th, and first in 15-games.
Michael Abgrall opened the scoring, beating Grizzlies goaltender Liam Souliere with a backhander just over two minutes in the game. The Kings end the season 23-1-3 when scoring first, the third best record when scoring first in the BCHL.
Thomas Wardle made 26-saves on 27-shots for seventh win of the season. He improves to 5-6-1, with two shutouts and 2.51 GAA / .917 SV% in a Kings uniform this season. Liam Souliere stopped 36 of 41 for the Grizzlies in the loss.
Leduc had a two assist game, ending the season on a five game point-streak, and with seven goals and 14-points in 14-games with the Kings. Glasman had a goal and a helper, giving him seven goals and 13-assists over his last 13-games. Ethan Schmunk also had a multi-point effort (1G/1A), bringing him up to 30-points this season, with 16 of them coming in the second-half.
The Powell River Kings will either take on the Nanaimo Clippers or Cowichan Valley Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. The Kings will play the second seed in the division. The Clippers play the Alberni Valley Bulldogs today, and with a win, they will pass the Capitals for first, meaning Powell River will play Cowichan Valley.
