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Rivermen close December with OT losses

Despite back-to-back overtime setbacks, Langley junior A hockey club suffered just one regulation loss in nine December games
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They may have closed 2016 with a pair of losses, but the Langley Rivermen still managed to pick up two points for their efforts to finish the month of December with just one regulation defeat in nine games.

Riding a five-game winning streak, Langley was in Prince George for a pair of junior A hockey games against the Spruce Kings with the home side winning both times in overtime.

Prince George won 3-2 last Thursday and followed that up with a wild 7-6 victory the next night.

Langley finished the month of December with a sparkling 6-1-2-0 record and they sit in fourth place of the BCHL’s Mainland Division at 16-14-5-2, and their 39 points have them one point back of Prince George for third place.

Game one saw the Rivermen 35 seconds away from victory before Prince George struck for the equalizer with the goaltender pulled and then won it with a power-play tally 2:19 into the extra frame.

Angus Crookshank and Andrew Dumaresque had the Langley goals.

Bo Didur stopped 37 shots in the loss.

The rematch saw the teams combine for six goals — three apiece — in the opening 20 minutes, before Prince George forged ahead 5-3 after 40 minutes.

Brendan Budy and Cooper Leitch pulled the Rivermen back on equal footing with goals in the first 6:09 of the third. And after the Spruce Kings again went ahead, McKay Flanagan notched the tying goal on a power play with 4:28 to play.

But Prince George earned the extra point with a goal 44 seconds into the second overtime period.

Zac Masson led the Rivermen with two goals while Leitch and Nicholas Ponak each had a goal and a helper.

The Rivermen return to action on Friday as they host the Victoria Grizzlies at the George Preston Recreation Centre at 7:15 p.m. They also play in Chilliwack on Saturday.