Following a tough start to the regular season that included three consecutive defeats, the Spruce Kings got the jump start they needed with a shutout win on the road in Merritt.
Justin Fillion opened the scoring late in the first period and Joe Morgan tallied the insurance marker with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation to close out the victory for Prince George. Recently re-acquired netminder contributed a first-star performance, turning aside 33 Centennials shots. 16-year-old Cole Holowenko performed admirably between the Merritt pipes, earning the game's third-star selection with 23 saves in his first career junior hockey start.
ForwardsDustin Johnson and Colton Sobchak sat out the game for Merritt as theyrecover from injuries while goaltender Spencer Bacon was a healthyscratch as Norbert Biszczak served as Holowenko's back-up. Forward GaryRai missed the game due to personal reasons.The Spruce Kings now return home to face Salmon Arm on Sunday while the Cents await a visit from unbeaten Burnaby in a midweek game on Wednesday.
