Former Cowichan Valley Capitals forward Lucas Vanroboys and the Prince George Spruce Kings swept aside the Vernon Vipers in four games to win the Fred Page Cup for the first time in the club’s history last Wednesday night.
The Spruce Kings capped off the win with a 3-1 win over the Vipers in Vernon to lock up the B.C. Hockey League championship and advance to the Doyle Cup series against the Brooks Bandits, who won the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Normally, only the winner of the Doyle Cup would advance to the national championship tournament, but since Brooks is hosting the tournament this year, both the Bandits and Spruce Kings are already guaranteed berths at nationals.
Vanroboys scored the first goal in game one of the BCHL championship series. The forward started the 2018-19 season with the Caps, but was dealt to the Spruce Kings at the trade deadline in January. He had 15 points and 87 penalty minutes in 27 games with the Caps, then eight points and 23 penalty minutes in 15 regular-season contests with the Spruce Kings, and nine points and 20 penalty minutes in 17 postseason games.
The Vipers had previously dispatched the Wenatchee Wild, who defeated the Caps in the second round of the BCHL playoffs after the Caps had surprised the Penticton Vees in the first round.