Kings forward Ethan Schmunk was able to celebrate his 19th birthday with a goal and a big team win, but it took some last ditch heroics from Mitch Adamyk to preserve a 3-2 win over the Wenatchee Wild on Friday night at the Hap Parker Arena.
After being scored on just 34 seconds into the game against Wenatchee south of the border in November, it was the Kings to take the initiative by generating a couple of great chances off the game’s opening shift with Levi Glasman, Ethan Kimball and Mitch Williams to go to work. However it was the line of Josh Coblenz, Ben Thomas and Matthew Byrne to get the games first goal as Jayden Lee got a puck at centre and dumped a one-hopper in on Wenatchee goalie Austin Park. He shoved out a rebound where a hard striding Ben Thomas pounced on a loose puck, his 7th and 2nd in as many games and a 1-0 lead that held through 20.
Into the 2nd period and the Kings took a stranglehold over the game. Despite sending Wenatchee to their third powerplay of the contest, the Kings got the advantage as Ethan Kimball made a stellar defensive play to clear a puck and spring birthday-boy Ethan Schmunk in behind the Wild defence, he made no mistake for his 7th of the season before catching an edge on the celebration and bowling over Brendan Saether in the process. Despite the “oopsie”, Schmunk gave the Kings a 2-0 lead.
Powell River made it 3-0 late in the period as they went to their 2nd of back to back powerplays bourne of Wild frustrations, Ryan Brushett after a difficult shift used speed down the left side to tee up Levi Glasman in front, his 11th and a 3-0 advantage through 40.
Wenatchee countered in the third as they began to find their feet, with the Kings perhaps easing up off the gas a little. Two goals bought the lead to just one with minutes remaining, and in the dying seconds the Wild found a player in front of the net and a great chance on goal was robbed on a rolling pad stack save from Mitch Adamyk to preserve his 17th and the team’s 23rd win of the year, a 3-2 score.
The Kings close the weekend by welcoming the Cowichan Valley Capitals to the Hap, closing out the season series between the two. Fans should note the special start time of 3:30pm on Sunday afternoon at the Hap Parker Arena. The Kings will also conduct the draw of the 2018/19 Kings Dream Lottery in the 2nd intermission. Tickets are still available until 1:00pm on Sunday.
