Sports

Chad Staley capped a four-point evening Monday night in Langley with the overtime winner as the Prince George Spruce Kings downed the Rivermen 5-4. The win gave the Spruce Kings a three games to two lead in their first-round BCHL playoff series, with game six set for tonight in Prince George. Staley had a shorthanded goal early in the third period to tie the game 3-3, then assisted on Michael Buonincontri’s goal just after the eight-minute mark to tie the score again at 4-4. The goal...

It was the longest season the UNBC Timberwolves men’s basketball team has ever had in Canada West, mainly because it was the first time they made the playoffs. It came to an end on the weekend, however, with a pair of losses to the UBC Thunderbirds. “The guys battled hard,” coach Todd Jordan said of the two games in Vancouver, which ended in scores of 83-77 and 88-78. “It’s wasn’t the result we wanted, obviously, but it was a positive experience.” And with that, thoughts turn to next...

Last Saturday, Evan Bichon was at Tabor Mountain, winning gold for Team BC in the snowboard cross event at the Canada Winter Games. Today, he’s on his way to China for the Junior World Championships. And that’s just the latest stop on a whirlwind tour of ski hills. “I was in Quebec for a week for a couple of races,” the 16-year-old Prince George racer says, “then I was in Colorado for a week, then up to Big White (near Kelowna), then back to Prince George for the Winter Games.” Bichon went...

It may have been the biggest goal of the season for the Prince George Cougars. It was certainly one of the strangest. On Wednesday at the CN Centre, the Cougars and Calgary Hitmen entered the third period in a 2-2 tie. Cougars captain Sam Ruopp flipped the puck down the ice, Cal Babych redirected it slightly with his stick, and the puck eluded Hitmen goalie Mark Shields. That was the last of the scoring, as the Cougars ran their winning streak to four games with the 3-2 win. “Good teams...

Three Prince George curling teams are in Lake Cowichan this week, aiming for a provincial juvenile title. Rinks skipped by Alyssa Connell and Jessie Withey are on the women’s side of the Tim Hortons BC Juvenile Curling Championships, while Coleton Vriesendorp is in the men’s event. The women get things started this morning with Withey and her team of third Carly Connor, second Hannah Lindner and lead Carsyn Hamilton (coach Doug Dalziel) taking on the Heather Drexel team from Coquitlam in...

It was a very easy scoring summary for Game 1 of the Mainland Division semifinal playoff series between the Prince George Spruce Kings and the Langley Rivermen on Tuesday in Langley. The only name on it was Daniel Nachbaur of the Spruce Kings, who scored an unassisted goal with 1:06 left in the third period to give the visiting Spruce Kings a 1-0 win, and take home-ice advantage away from the Rivermen. The two teams had split the last two games of the regular season in Prince George, which...

There are no members of the Prince George Water Lilies competing in the synchronized swimming at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. That’s hardly a surprise, though, given the club’s short history. “The Games announcement was in 2011, I think,” says club secretary Lynn Barager, who is also a coach with the team. “The Games staff with synchronized swimming told us this would be a great chance to start a club. There hadn’t been a club here for probably 20 years.” Club treasurer Maureen Evanson...

The Prince George Cougars took their show on the road this week. After beating the Moose Jaw Warriors 4-2 Saturday night, the Cougars again vacated their dressing room at CN Centre for the Canada Winter Games, and on Monday headed south. They don’t play again until tonight (Friday) in Seattle and Saturday in Everett, but they took off Monday morning for a chance to show other communities who the Cougars are. Monday they were in Quesnel, Tuesday in Williams Lake and Wednesday in 100 Mile...

As the Prince George Spruce Kings prepare for the final weekend of the BCHL regular season, coach Dave Dupas sums up the situation simply. “We can still finish second,” he said Wednesday, “and we could still finish fourth.” The Spruce Kings’ fate is in their own hands this weekend, as they host the Langley Rivermen tonight (Friday) and Saturday at the Coliseum. Going into the weekend, Langley has 62 points, good for second in the Mainland Division. The Spruce Kings are third with 59 points...