Silvertips Edge Cougars 4-3.

Saturday night in Prince George, the Cougars dropped a 4-3 score to the Everett Silvertips. Joshua Winquist scored twice in the second period to ultimately seal the deal. Spencer Asuchak, Greg Fraser and Daulton Siwak responded for the Cougars who had two late power plays, but were unable to tie the score.

Everett earned a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game. Austin Adam opened the scoring 1:49 in on a point-shot that found it’s way through the crowd. For a second straight game, Everett had scored on their first shot on goal.

Josh Birkolz added to the lead at 5:37 on a power play. Birkholz skated into the left circle and let a low shot go that found it’s way into the back of the net. For Birkholz it was his second of the weekend and 23rd of the season.

The Cougars made it 2-1 late in the period when Greg Fraser stole the puck from the Silvertips defense and wired a shot past Kent Simpson for his 12th of the season. The goal was scored unassisted.

Early in the second period, Everett regained their two goal cushion when Joshua Winquist put home a Ryan Harrison pass. Earlier in the sequence, Drew Owsley made a sensational save off of Harrison on a breakaway, but Harrison grabbed his own rebound, centered the puck and Winquist made no mistake.

Winquist would score another one 2:04 later off a centering pass from behind the Cougars goal.

Spencer Asuchak would respond for the Cougars late in the period on a power play. Asuchak received a pass in front of Kent Simpson, and deked around him for his 13th of the season, and his sixth of the season against the Everett Silvertips. A nice reward for Asuchak who was celebrating his 200th game of his career.

Early in the third period the Cougars moved within one when Daulton Siwak freed the puck along the wall and blasted a wrist-shot past Simpson for his eighth of the season.

Two late power plays provided the Cougars with some chances, but the Silvertips were able to block a lot of shots and hold the Cougars to three goals.

With the victory, Everett’s record improves to 12-30-1-8 and they moved one point ahead of the Cougars (15-31-0-2) in the Western Conference standings.

Both teams finished one-for-four on the man advantage. Everett outshot Prince George 28-19.

Next up: The Victoria Royals on Tuesday and Wednesday. It marks the first time that the Cougars will face Victoria since October 1st, 2011 and the first time the Cougars have played a game in Victoria since the franchise was moved to Prince George (from Victoria) in 1994.

Cougars - Silvertips Part Two.

The Prince George Cougars and Everett Silvertips will meet for the fourth and final time tonight at CN Centre. Last night Everett skated to a 5-2 victory, and are now one point behind Prince George in the Western Conference standings. The Cougars are hoping to snap a four-game losing skid and hope to even up their season series with Everett in the process.



Overview:

Mark Ferner’s Everett Silvertips come into tonight’s game with a record of 11-30-1-8 through 50 games this season. The Silvertips are 4-5-0-1 in their last 10 games and are one point back of Prince George for ninth in the Western Conference.



Who’s Up Front:

Leading the way offensively for Everett is 20-year-old forward Josh Birkolz. Birkholz has scored 22 goals and has 42 points to lead all Silvertips in scoring. Birkolz had the game winner last night for the Silvertips after he zig-zagged his way through the defense and roofed one for the third Everett goal of the night.



Who’s on D:

Import defenceman Dominik Bittner was the hero for Everett in last night’s game scoring twice (the first two goals). The two goals from Bittner were his first two ever in the Western Hockey League. Bittner also played well in his own zone, and made few (if any) mistakes against the Cougars. The Cougars will hope to silence Bittner and the rest of the Silvertips d-core tonight.



Who’s in Goal:

The Everett Silvertips got a strong outing from 19-year-old Kent Simpson. Simpson faced 36 shots and made 34 saves for the victory. Simpson was tested often in the third period and stood tall for his team when the score was 4-2. The Chicago Blackhawks draft pick is now 1-1-0-0 this season in two starts against Prince George.



X-Factor:

It was the first time that the Prince George Cougars have faced Everett with a healthy Ryan Murray, and the future first-rounder did not disappoint last night. He moved the puck extremely well and was a calming influence on the back-end for his team. The Cougars did a good job keeping Murray in check offensively, and they’ll need to do so again tonight to be successful.





Overview:

Dean Clark’s team did not get much help last night from either Kamloops or Kelowna, so tonight they’ll need to help themselves. The Cougars have lost four games in a row, and are only 2-8-0-0 in their last 10 games. The young Cougars are battling a ton of injuries at the moment, and it’s important for them to not get too down about their current situation. The Cougars are a minor winning streak away from getting right back into the thick of things in the Western Conference playoff picture.



Who’s Up Front:

20-year-old forward Spencer Asuchak was terrific for the Cougars in last night’s game. Asuchak scored both Cougars goals, and now has five goals this season against Everett. Asuchak now leads the Cougars outright with 12 goals on the season. Tonight will be a big night for Asuchak as it is his 200th career game in the WHL. Another strong night from Asuchak and his linemates will go a long way for the Cougars.



Who’ on D:

Defensively the Cougars will need to greatly rely on their veterans in tonight’s game. With Dan Gibb’s status up in the air for the foreseeable future, even more ice-time will likely be given to Cody Carlson, Jesse Forsberg and Ricard Blidstrand. The Cougars will need the likes of Michael Mylchreest, Linden Springer and Marc McNulty to play big minutes as well. The Cougars will need all of their defenceman one-through-six to be responsible and disciplined tonight.



Who’s in Goal:

Drew Owsley stopped 32 of 36 shots in last night’s game and was strong when called upon, but tonight maybe more than ever, the Cougars are going to need their goaltender (be it Owsley or Devon Fordyce) to help steal a victory.



X-Factor:

The Prince George Cougars played a strong first 10 minutes, and an excellent final 20 in last night’s game. But the big X-Factor tonight is to put it all together for a full 60 minutes. The Cougars could greatly help their playoff cause and their confidence cause with a victory tonight against Everett before an important road-swing to Victoria on Tuesday and Wednesday. Consistency is the ultimate key for tonight’s game.

Silvertips 5 - Cougars 2

Friday night in Prince George, the Prince George Cougars dropped a 5-2 score to the Everett Silvertips. Dominik Bittner scored twice for Everett in the first period, and the visitors scored four times in the first 40 minutes to earn their 11th win of the season. Spencer Asuchak had both goals in response for Prince George.

The Cougars opened the scoring early in the first period while short-handed. Spencer Asuchak out-skated the Silvertips defender, and managed to stuff the puck past Kent Simpson while he was hauled down to put the Cougars on the board. It was Asuchak’s 11th of the season and fourth of the year against Everett.

The Silvertips evened the score a few moments later when Dominik Bittner let a point-shot go that deflected off the Cougars defence and in past Drew Owsley. For Bittner it was his first goal in the Western Hockey League.

Late in the period, Bittner struck again off a Cougars turnover. Bittner walked into the slot and flipped once into the net for his second of the period.

The Cougars lost the services of defenceman Dan Gibb who was injured in the late stages of the first period. Gibb left with about three minutes remaining in the period and did not return.

The second period belonged to Everett. The Silvertips outshot Prince George 15-10, and were rewarded offensively when Josh Birkholz weaved his way into the front of the goal and beat Drew Owsley up high for his 21st of the season.

Late in the period the Silvertips added to their lead when Ryan Chynoweth put home his first ever goal in the WHL. Chynoweth had the final whack at a puck that was bouncing around in the goal-mouth area.

The Cougars really turned it on in the third though, and moved within two goals when Spencer Asuchak scored off a face-off in Everett territory. For Asuchak it was his 12th of the season, which gives him the team lead in goals outright.

The Cougars then continued to press, but Everett netminder Kent Simpson kept the door shut the rest of the way.

Kohl Bauml added an empty-netter for Everett who secured their 11th win of the season, and are now one point back of the Cougars in the Western Conference standings. That said: The Silvertips have played in three more games.

Prince George and Everett both finished the game zero-for-three on the power play. Everett outshot Prince George 37-36.

The Cougars (15-30-0-2) will head into Saturday’s rematch with Everett (11-30-1-8) trailing Victoria by five points in the Western Conference standings. Victoria secured a 4-2 victory against Kamloops while Seattle defeated Kelowna in a shootout to move six ahead of the Cougars in the playoff race.

The Cougars and Silvertips meet for the final time on Saturday night from CN Centre.

Cougars - Silvertips Preview.

Friday night in Prince George, the Cougars will host the Everett Silvertips for the first and only weekend this season. So far the Cougars are 1-1-0-0 against Everett having posted a 4-1 victory against them on November 11th, 2011. The Cougars lost the next night 3-2. These teams have only three points separating themselves in the standings, and make no mistake about it: This weekend has major playoff implications.





Overview:

Mark Ferner’s Everett Silvertips are coming into this weekend with a record of 3-6-0-1 in their last 10 games. The ‘Tips have lost two straight and are currently ranked 10th in the WHL’s Western Conference. Their record sits at 10-30-1-8 this season.



Who’s Up Front:

Leading the way offensively for Everett is 20-year-old forward Josh Birkolz. Birkholz has scored 21 goals and has 41 points to lead all Silvertips in scoring.



Who’s on D:

When the Cougars and Silvertips last played each other in mid-November, the Silvertips did not have Ryan Murray in their lineup. The 17-year-old missed a solid chunk of time earlier this season with injury, and is almost assuredly going to be a top 10 pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. So far this season Murray has tallied 19 points in 23 games with Everett.



Who’s in Goal:

The Everett Silvertips are led in goal by 19-year-old Kent Simpson. Simpson is 8-24-1-5 on the year and has a save percentage of .900 this season through 40 games. Simpson’s backup netminder is 16-year-old Austin Lotz. Lotz is 2-6-0-2 this season and earned his first ever WHL victory against Prince George back on November 12, 2011.



X-Factor:

Though the Silvertips have struggled record-wise this season their power play comes into this weekend ranked 10th in the Western Hockey League. They can thank 17-year-old forward Kohl Bauml for some of that success. Bauml has scored seven power play goals this season and is enjoying a fine rookie campaign in the Western Hockey League. The Cougars will need to stay disciplined and not let the Silvertips power play beat them. Silencing Bauml will be a big step in the right direction.





Overview:

Dean Clark’s team comes into this weekend ranked ninth in the Western Conference and they sit three points back of the Victoria Royals for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Cougars have lost three straight and are 2-8-0-0 in their last 10 games. The Cougars are 3-2-0-0 in their last five games at home.



Who’s Up Front:

Heading into the weekend the Prince George Cougars are a little bit banged up. That being said they still have many capable forwards that can put up some numbers offensively. 20-year-old forward Spencer Asuchak has scored three goals against Everett already this season, and no doubt would like to continue that type of production this weekend.



Who’ on D:

Defensively the Cougars will have to be ready to go against a plucky Everett team that is not going to make anything easy on them. Cody Carlson scored the team’s lone goal last Saturday against Red Deer and leads the Cougars with 30 points from the back-end. Carlson is second in team scoring behind only Troy Bourke.



Who’s in Goal:

Drew Owsley got the night off Saturday in Red Deer and should be ready to go for one or both games this weekend. Owsley gives the Cougars a chance to win each time he takes the ice, and you know that he’ll be ready to give it his all this weekend against the Silvertips.



X-Factor:

The Prince George Cougars did not lead for a single second of their three-game Alberta road-swing last week. The Cougars will no doubt feel a lot better about themselves and their chances if they can give themselves an early lead against Everett. When the Cougars lead after two periods of play they are 10-1-0-0 this season.

Spencer Asuchak Audio.

Spencer Asuchak Interview by thevoicedo

Asuchak Approaches 200th Game.

This weekend the ninth placed Prince George Cougars host the 10th placed Everett Silvertips on both Friday and Saturday at CN Centre. For Cougars 20-year-old forward Spencer Asuchak, this weekend could be especially memorable.

The 20-year-old product of Kamloops, B.C. is set to play in his 200th career game in the Western Hockey League on Saturday night. Through 198 career games, Spencer Asuchak has recorded 41 goals and 41 assists for 82 points along with 188 penalty minutes.

“It’s exciting. It’s a privilege and a pleasure to be in this league for that long,” said Asuchak. “Four years went by fast. It feels good.”

Asuchak says that versatility has been a big key to his success. “I’d like to think of myself as an all-around player. It’s something I pride myself on,” said Asuchak.

Asuchak is hoping for a big weekend to help celebrate the big milestone. So far this season Asuchak has scored three of his 10 goals against Everett.

Vote Dan Gibb for Breakfast Idol.

Tuesday morning Cougars defenceman Dan Gibb was a guest on 101.3 The River's morning show with Mike and Ashley. Gibb joined the show as a contestant for the River's 'Breakfast Idol' promotion.

It turns out that Dan Gibb and host Mike were wearing the same sweater!

Gibb started the morning by defeating co-host Ashley in a game of Birthday Trivia.

He then participated in a stirring round of 20 questions and solved a rubix cube during the talent portion of the event.

All Cougars fans should help Dan Gibb become Prince George's 'Breakfast Idol.'

You can vote for Dan Here.