Penalties prove costly for Spruce Kings in loss to Vipers

VERNON — The Prince George Spruce Kings multiple trips to the penalty box prove to be the deciding factor in Saturday’s (Mar.11) game as the Vernon Vipers score two power play markers to give themselves a 2-1 win.

Austin Fraser opened the scoring at 10:52 of the first period for the Spruce Kings to go up 1-0 in the contest.

Early in the second period, a tripping minor by Prince George leads to Luke Pakulak scoring his 14th on the season just 42 seconds into the frame to tie the game up at one.

In the third, another tripping minor by the Spruce Kings leads to Seiya Tanaka-Campbell scoring at 5:53 to give the Vipers their first lead of the match. Tanaka-Campbell’s goal would ultimately be the game winner as the Vipers are inching close to the Spruce Kings in the standings. The Vipers have 54 points while Prince George has 55.