Spruce Kings Drop Home Opener

The Prince George Spruce Kings dropped their first home game of the 2024-2025 season by a 4-1 score on Friday night to the Coquitlam Express.

After a cautiously played first period for the most part, the Spruce Kings went on an 8-0 shots run which saw a :55 second 5 on 3 end without a goal.

The Express would open the scoring at 16:45 as James Shannon knocked down an exit pass from Trent Ballentyne and beat Carter Wishart on the glove side.

Joseph Odyniec made it 2-0 with 7.9 seconds remaining in the opening period, as he deflected a Sam Frandina slap pass past Wishart. It was a power-play goal after the Spruce Kings took a too many men penalty.

A scoreless middle frame was actually the breakaway frame, as Kazumo Sasaki, Brock Cummings, and Brogan McNeil all had good opportunities pushed away by Eric Young.

In the third period, the Express added a pair of power-play goals as Shannon got his second of the night, and Thomas Zocco beat Wishart to make it a 4-0 lead.

The lone bright spot for the Spruce Kings came a couple of minutes after the Zocco goal as Linden Makow got his first of the season from Sasaki and Cummings.

Shots on Goal:

Prince George – 32
Chilliwack – 21

3 Stars presented by PG Floor Fashions

1st Star – James Shannon – Coquitlam (2 goals, 1 assist)

2nd Star – Eric Young – Coquitlam (31 saves)

3rd Star – Sam Frandina (2 assists)

Next up: Saturday September 28th at 6:00 pm vs Coquitlam

TICKETS: https://bit.ly/Sep28Coquitlam