After 58 regular season contests, 11 in the playoffs, the Powell River Kings have officially wrapped the 2013/2014 season by bowing out of the BCHL playoffs with a 4-2 loss in Game 6 on Friday night.
Here are some thoughts from the game:
- Kings got behind the 8-ball early, down 2-0 on fairly similar plays. Myles Fitzgerald went shelf glove side, then 2 minutes later Cole Pickup put one the exact same position on Smith. It was otherwise an even opening period, but the Kings just didn’t come out with the grit and determination that was needed in a game like this.
- 2nd was much better, highlighted by Luko’s 1st (above) on a real nice drive to the net. He’d been a little snake-bitten this playoff run and wasn’t looking comfortable, bobbling the puck and looking a little out of sorts. He came through though with a big one to get the crowd and the team back intot he game.
- The longer the game went on the more the Kings pushed with teams trading 1 more goal each for a 3-2 result. Hunter Findlater probably had the best chances all night but it wasn’t meant to be for the Powell River product who I thought had an excellent first taste of BCHL playoffs. In his 6 games in the regular season, plus the action he saw against Victoria, he rarely looked behind the pace or like he didn’t fit in. Certainly a good first showing.
- Jarryd Leung did not return after injuring his leg in the 1st period of game 6. That sent the Kings down to 10 forwards and a shuffling of the lines to even things out a little. It’s a tough end to the season for a player that took a lot of good strides this year, particularly in the 2nd half. Hopefully his recovery is a short one and he can put in the work needed to take another step next season.
Here is my chat with Derek Bachynski after the game:
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Three Stars of the Game:
- Cole Pickup (Grizzlies) – 2 goals
- Luke Nogard (Kings) – 1 goal
- Garrett Forster (Grizzlies) – 2 assists
Fortis BC Energy Player of the Game: Hunter Findlater.
I’ll have a post later today or tomorrow wrapping up the season with a long list of thank you’s. Today is photo day for the Powell River Kings, I’ll have some snapshots from that as well.
