Powell River Kings rally late, record second win in as many games over Cowichan Valley

Powell River Kings rallied from a two-goal, third period deficit en route to a 5-4 overtime win over Cowichan Valley Capitals in Duncan on Friday, February 4.

Five different Kings scored on the night, including captain Dylan Finlay, whose fifth goal of the BC Hockey League (BCHL) season sealed the win at 3:26 of the extra period.

Kings started strong, outshooting the Capitals 19-8 in the first 20 minutes and scoring the only goal when centre Aaron Neal also recorded his fifth of the season, assisted by Branden Toye and Nathan Small.

Cowichan responded in period two, with 14 shots to Powell River’s eight, and outscored the visitors by a three-to-one margin to take a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes. Both teams scored once on power plays, including Parker Lalonde and Maxim Potvin setting up Ethan Riesterer’s sixth of the season for the Kings.

The back and forth domination of the shot clock continued in period three, with the Kings sending 15 shots at Capitals’ goaltender McCoy Bidewell while the home team only managed to register six on Zac Brice.

Despite the pressure by Powell River, Cowichan scored first, capitalizing on another power play at 4:57 to take a 4-2 lead. Nic Porchetta (sixth) cut the lead to one 10 minutes later, then Lalonde notched his team leading 13th goal of the season at 16:52 to force overtime. Sam Belanger, Anthony Lucarelli, Karter McNarland and Porchetta assisted on third period goals. McNarland also set up the overtime winner.

Attendance at Cowichan Community Centre was 713. Shots overall were 44-29 in favour of the Kings, who travel to Port Alberni to face the Bulldogs on Saturday, February 5. Game time is 7 pm.

Powell River has won three consecutive games over Cowichan, including a 5-2 win in Duncan on January 2, and a 3-2 win at home on February 2.

The next home games for the Kings take place February 11 (7 pm) and February 12 (5 pm) against Nanaimo Clippers. The February 11 game was previously scheduled for February 13, and those tickets will be valid for entry at the rescheduled game.