That Coastal East Division title the Prince George Spruce Kings want to win is coming closer into view.
In their only game of the weekend, the Spruce Kings took care of business Friday night skating to a 5-0 victory over the lowly Surrey Eagles in front of 1,093 fans at the Kopar Memorial Arena.
The win extended their winning streak to five straight games.
PG’s balanced offensive attack was front and centre with five different goal scorers lighting the lamp against Eagles netminder Finn Marshall.
Guelph Gryphons commit Marcus Lougheed opened the scoring on the power-play as his wrist shot trickled through the arm of the Surrey goalie for a 1-0 edge.
Less than two minutes later, Tai Ushio doubled the pleasure for the hosts as his power move from the far Eagles corner led to a pair of high-quality chances.
The 20-year-old’s first attempt was stopped point blank by Marshall, but he was in no position to make the second save, leaving Ushio lots of room to put the loose puck upstairs.
“IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, GET THE REBOUND AND GO SHELF!” 🗣️
🎙️ @KCAndo23 #BCHL | @SpruceKings pic.twitter.com/5a9DQdrJc7
— BCHL (@BCHockeyLeague) January 31, 2026
In the second, the so-called fourth line of Mason Loewen, River Arnason and Carter Hesselgrave put on a clinic inside the defensive zone.
The sequence ended with Hesselgrave breaking down the Surrey defensive coverage, finding Loewen in front of the net who shot the puck through the wickets of Marshall for a commanding 3-0 lead.
“It was a great play by Hess. He really set me up there, and I am fortunate to play with a good player like that,” added Loewen.
“We have a lot of chemistry going right now, everybody knows their role on the line, and I think that is why it is working for us.”
Loewen, Hesselgrave and Ryder Green all with the Cariboo Cougars program and are close friends off the ice.
Loewen, who is an assistant captain, has 17 points in 35 games in his second season with the Spruce Kings – he had 17 points all last season in 43 appearances.
Hesselgrave is also enjoying a career year in his final run in junior hockey. The 20-year-old from Quesnel with 27 points in 35 games, surpassing his previous high of 19, which was set last season.
Arnason, a rookie from Winnipeg, has 12 points in 25 outings in his rookie BCHL campaign with PG.
Isaac Holt joined the offensive fray at the 9:45 mark of the middle period as his blast from the Eagles blueline zipped past Marshall, pinging off the inside of the post and into the goal.
Newly acquired forward Lucas Busch, who came from Surrey on Thursday, notched his first as a Spruce King on the power-play, beating Marshall for a 5-0 lead.
Busch, who hails from Maple Grove, Minnesota, had 20 points in 35 games before being acquired by the Spruce Kings. He feels his blue-collar game will compliment his new team quite well.
“It was an exciting debut. Nice to be part of a competitive group and it was good to get the boys going. I would say I am a power-forward with heavy skill – I lay the body and shoot the puck too.”
As the final buzzer sounded, PG outshot Surrey 41-28 and went 2-for-7 on the power-play while Surrey was 0-for-4.
Green collected his second shutout of the season for PG turning aside all 28 Eagle shots.
The local product’s sophomore season in the BCHL has been a lot more memorable going 12-4-0 with a 2.56 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.
In addition, the race for the division crown heated up as the Coquitlam Express (21-11-1-1) fell on the road to the league-leading Cowichan Valley Capitals (28-7-3-0) by a 5-4 score in Duncan.
PG (21-13-1-0) is one point back of the Express with Coquitlam having a game in hand.
A four-game in five-day road swing awaits the Spruce Kings starting on Tuesday with a school game against the Langley Rivermen at Noon.
From there, PG will stop in Coquitlam (Wednesday at 7pm), Nanaimo (Friday at 7pm) and Victoria (Saturday at 6pm).
FIVE STRAIGHT WINS! pic.twitter.com/m9G7ui3dbK
— Prince George Spruce Kings (@SpruceKings) January 31, 2026
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