It sure took a while for the offence to come but once it did, it came fast and furiously for the Prince George Spruce Kings.
Nick Poisson and Ben Brar lit the lamp for the Fred Page and Doyle Cup champions as they edged the Oakville Blades on Saturday by a 2-1 score in the second semi final at the National Junior A Championship from Brooks, Alberta.
“We’ve been in that spot a lot of times and our guys know how to play in that situation because I can’t tell you how many one goal games we have won this year. Our guys are battle tested as well as getting a couple of big blocks, faceoff wins and battles against the boards and we came away with the win,” said Adam Maglio, Spruce Kings Head Coach.
.@SpruceKings Head Coach Adam Maglio speaks with @mypgnow after 2-1 semi finals victory over @OakvilleBlades at @HC_NJAC pic.twitter.com/enMbwZIYKr
— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) May 19, 2019
Brar has brought the physical tone to the NJAC as well as the timely offense something that hasn’t gone unnoticed from his bench boss.
“Ben Brar has really brought his game here. You can just see it in his eyes in his pre-game, shift in and shift out he’s been phenomenal and that whole line has been very good and they inspire their teammates which is something that you need in a tournament like this. They really want this thing.”
Kyle Lewis responded for Oakville capping off a four-minute stretch where both teams scored on three occasions.
Logan Neaton made 32 saves in the victory including 17 in the the final frame, which included a five-minute penalty call that was given to captain Ben Poisson.
“Logan has been our back bone all year especially in the playoffs and he really stepped up for us in the final ten minutes,” said Brar.
“Everyone is tired out there but the Blades were playing for their lives and some of those guys are playing for the last time in junior so you have to bring it.”
.@SpruceKings Forward Ben Brar with @mypgnow after 2-1 victory over @OakvilleBlades to advance to @HC_NJAC Final against @BrooksBandits #cityofpg #sports #NJAC pic.twitter.com/7rzEfp8riB
— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) May 19, 2019
Will Barber kept it close for Oakville making 30 stops in his net.
The Blades netminder admits the loss is a tough pill to swallow.
“It’s been an unreal experience for us, all the guys have done a great job for us and we enjoyed our stay here with a great weekend and unfortunately we just came up a little short at the end.”
Prince George now advances to Sunday’s Final against the host Brooks Bandits with puck drop slated for 2pm Pacific Time.
MYPGNOW’s Brendan Pawliw is providing extensive coverage of the tournament.
.@OakvilleBlades Will Barber speaks with @mypgnow after 2-1 loss to @SpruceKings at @HC_NJAC #cityofpg #NJAC #sports pic.twitter.com/kkFKueJxgr
— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) May 19, 2019