Tuesday's Game 4 between the Victoria Grizzlies and Powell River Kings was a tight game for nearly 40 minutes.
But the hometown Kings, looking to even the teams' B.C. Hockey League series at two games apiece, made a statement with five straight goals to record an 8-3 victory and make it a best-of-three affair, as the setting shifts back to The Q Centre in Colwood tomorrow night.
The Grizzlies, down 1-0 after one period and 2-0 after a Kings power play goal early in the second, scored three of the next four goals in the middle frame to make it 3-3 and show they weren't about to roll over for the home squad.
But the Kings' Stephen Hiff scored just 23 seconds after the Grizzlies' Cole Pickup's notched the 3-3 goal on the power play at 17:02 of the second and from there it was virtually all Powell River.
The Kings notched a power play goal with five seconds to go in the busy period to make it 5-3 and scored three more times in the third, including one more power play goal against a frustrated Grizzlies squad. Overall the Kings went three for seven with the man advantage.
Brandon Egli and Leo Fitzgerald also scored for the Grizzlies, who started Alec Dillon back in net after a surprise start for Nic Renyard in Game 3. Dillon was replaced by Renyard after the second period, having stopped 20 of 25 shots.
Kurt Keats and Matt Scarth led the Kings with two goals apiece, while goalie Jonah Imoo stopped 35 of 38 shots.
Game 5 at The Q Centre gets underway at 7:15 p.m. Thursday.