By Jesse McGowan

De Jong, DeBrouwer squaring off in NCAA tournament

Mar 28, 2019 | 7:39 PM

While the Spruce Kings have their eyes set on Round 3 of the BCHL Playoffs, which begin Friday, two former Kings are preparing for a showdown on the NCAA stage. 66 former BCHL players are set to take part in the 2019 NCAA Division one men’s hockey tournament, with a spot in the Frozen Four on the line. Of the 16 remaining teams, 15 have at least one BCHL grad in the lineup, the most being Quinnipiac with 11. Among those 11 players is former Spruce Kings scorer Ethan de Jong. The major contributor to last year’s historic Kings’ playoff run is in his first year with the Quinnipiac Bobcats, where he posted 25 points in 36 games. His team goes up against the Arizona State University Devils, whose roster features the likes of former Kings goalie Evan DeBrouwer. The freshman has only played in one game this season with the Devils, who are making their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance on Saturday.