Image credit: Prince George Spruce Kings

By Aaron Schulze

Do or Die

Win and they’re in: Spruce Kings can clinch BCHL playoff spot on final day of the regular season

Mar 30, 2025 | 7:22 AM

PRINCE GEORGE — The Prince George Spruce Kings’ destiny has been set up for them in the slot.

The Spruce Kings hung on to defeat the Powell River Kings at home Saturday (March 29) night 5-4, but they needed some help on the out-of-town scoreboard to keep their British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) playoff hopes alive for another day.

And help they received.

Entering Saturday, the Spruce Kings trailed the Langley Rivermen for the eighth and final BCHL Coastal Conference playoff spot by four points. Prince George not only needed to win their final two games of the season against Powell River, but Langley needed to lose its final game against the Chilliwack Chiefs in regulation.

The Rivermen made the Spruce Kings sweat, cutting their deficit against the Chiefs to 5-4 after trailing 5-1 late in the second period. However, the Chiefs did their potential first round playoff opponent a favour, defeating the Rivermen 7-5.

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The Spruce Kings now trail the Rivermen for the final playoff spot by two points with one game remaining. If the Spruce Kings win in any fashion, they’ll face the first place Chiefs in the first round of the BCHL playoffs. While both teams would finish the 2024-25 season with the same number of points, the Spruce Kings would have the total wins tiebreaker.

However, if the Spruce Kings lose in regulation, overtime or a shootout, their season is over.

The Spruce Kings play their do-or-die final game of the season against the Powell River Kings Sunday (March 30) at 3:00 p.m. from Kopar Memorial Arena.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Spruce Kings, Brock Cummings (18) from Owen Goodbrand and Kazumo Sasaki (power play), 14:00

Second Period

2-0, Spruce Kings, Nicolas Papineau (12) unassisted (penalty shot), 2:47

2-1, Kings, Eliot Compton (8) from Calvin Beard, 3:12

2-2, Kings, Sam Grabner (3) from Eli Friedman and Landon Marleau, 8:40

3-2, Spruce Kings, Zachary Hachey (1) from Owen Goodbrand and Carter Hesselgrave, 9:11

4-2, Spruce Kings, Kazumo Sasaki (19) from Ryan Wachtel and Brock Cummings, 12:22

Third Period

5-2, Spruce Kings, Brock Cummings 2 (19) from Kazumo Sasaki and Trent Ballentyne, 6:43

5-3, Kings, Eliot Compton 2 (9) from Niccolo Mansueto and Dante Ersoni, 6:58

5-4, Kings, Eli Friedman (5) from Dante Ersoni, 8:39

Goaltending

Charles-Edward Gravel (W), Spruce Kings, 22 saves on 26 shots in 60 minutes played.

Vincent Lamberti (L), Kings, 39 saves on 44 shots in 59 minutes played.