The Cranbrook Bucks went the distance in Prince George Saturday night, earning a thrilling 4-3 overtime win over the Spruce Kings to close their three-game set in the Caribou.
The Spruce Kings picked up early goals in their victories over Cranbrook on Thursday and Friday, but the Bucks turned the tables on Prince George in Saturday’s first period. Cranbrook forward Hayden Gelbard opened the scoring at 2:05, and captain Rhys Bentham tallied at 8:10 to give the Bucks a 2-0 lead. The Spruce Kings responded at 8:59 with Nick Rheaume’s 12th goal of the season. The Bucks left the first period with a 2-1 lead intact.
Prince George squared up with the Bucks early in the second period. Rowan Miller scored forty-nine seconds into the middle frame to tie the game 2-2. Cranbrook managed to restore their one-goal lead via Bentham’s second goal of the evening, but the Spruce Kings responded again – this time Ben LeFranc found the twine to send the game into a 3-3 tie.
The third period was played passively, with just nine shots recorded from both teams in aggregate. The score remained 3-3 after regulation, setting the stage for overtime.
The Bucks needed just twenty-two seconds of extra time to earn their first win of their three-game set in Prince George. Leading scorer Tyson Dyck sealed the victory for Cranbrook with his 15th goal of the season.
Cranbrook finishes their trio of games versus the Spruce Kings with a 1-2 record after Saturday’s win. The shots count ended in a 24-24 tie, Cranbrook failed to capitalize on six power play attempts, they killed three of four Spruce King penalties.
The Bucks finish the weekend with a 11-10-1 record at sixth in the Interior Conference. With Saturday’s loss Prince George falls to fourth in the Interior at 13-7-1. The Bucks play their next game Friday, December 17 in Trail.
Buck Tracks:
- Cranbrook’s first overtime win of the season (also had a shootout win November 6th vs Langley).
- Rhys Bentham scores first two goals of the season.
- 1-2 season series vs Prince George.
- 3 points in last 3 games for Hayden Gelbard (2g, 1a).
