Powell River, BC – Matthew Crasa scored early in the third for the go-ahead marker, giving the Cowichan Valley Capitals a 2-1 game 4 victory over the Powell River Kings in front of a crowd of 832 on Wednesday night at the Hap Parker Arena.
Crasa threw the puck on net from the right half-boards, taking a deflection of Derek Krall’s stick and into the net for his second of the playoffs. The goal came 6:37 into the final frame, giving the Capitals a 3-1 series lead ahead of game 5 on Friday in Duncan.
The Kings were outshooting the Capitals 29-16 after two periods of play, but were outshot 5-0 in the first 10-minutes of the third, and 12-5 overall.
It was Austin Chorney’s second of the series that tied the game 1-1 early into period two. He split the Kings defence, drove to the net where his initial shot was stopped, but the second was not, as he potted home his own rebound for an unassisted goal.
The Kings scored first for the third time in this series as Michael Abgrall received a centering pass in front from Dawson McKay just as the power-play expired, and he smacked it home for a 1-0 lead with two minutes to play in the opening frame. Abgrall picked up his second of the series, while also giving him points in three straight games.
Kings goaltender Derek Krall made 26-saves on 28-shots in the loss. Capitals netminder Zach Brogiel stopped 33 of 34 in the victory.
The Powell River Kings will look to avoid first opening round exit since 2013-14 when they take on the Cowichan Valley Capitals for game 5 on Friday night in Duncan. If needed, game 6 will be in Powell River on Saturday.
