The Prince George Spruce Kings scored a goal in each period while the visiting Coquitlam Express were able to reply once as the home team took the first game of their best-of-seven BC Hockey League first round playoff series, 3-1.
The Spruce Kings, who finished second in the BCHL’s Mainland division, 22 points ahead of the third-place Express, scored a power play goal early in the first period, one minute after Coquitlam’s Jack Cameron was penalized for boarding.
Coquitlam equalized 45 seconds into the second period with a power play goal of their own. Connor Gregga knocked the puck past Prince George goalie Logan Neaton during a scramble in the crease.
But the tie score lasted less than five minutes when Layton Ahac put the home team ahead, 2-1.
That’s the way the game stayed until Dustin Manz was able to score into Coquitlam’s empty net with 49 seconds remaining in regulation time as Express keeper sat on the bench in favour of an extra attacker.
Stevenson stopped 26 shots in Coquitlam’s net, while his teammates fired 22 at Logan.
Game two is Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
The series shifts to Coquitlam for games Monday and Tuesday, at 7:15 p.m. at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex.
