Tonight the defending WHL champs are in town for their lone meeting of the regular season with the Prince George Cougars. The Cougars and Kootenay Ice will square off tonight at 7:00 from CN Centre.
KOOTENAY ICE:
Overview:
The Kootenay Ice have continued right where they left off last season. So far the Ice have posted a record of 15-5-1-2. They hold a two-point lead for first place in the Central Division and are 7-2-1-0 in their last 10 games.
Who’s Up Front:
Offensively the Kootenay Ice are led by Calgary draft-pick Max Reinhart. Reinhart leads Kootenay with 10 goals and 25 points so far. Two of Reinhart’s goals have come on the power play and two have been scored short-handed. He’s dangerous everytime he’s on the ice, and the Cougars will need to do their best to keep him in check.
Who’s on D:
19-year-old defenceman Joey Leach is the offensive leader from the back-end for Kootenay. Leach has notched 16 points so far this season and is a +15 on top of that. Leach brings a 6’4”, 200 pound frame to the table and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him log the most minutes out of all of the Kootenay blueliners.
Who’s in Goal:
The Kootenay Ice boast one of the top goaltenders in the Western Hockey League in 20-year-old Nathan Lieuwen. The Buffalo Sabres draft-pick stands 6’5 and has numbers that mostly every other netminder in the league would envy. He has a save percentage of .936, and a goals against average of 1.82. Should Lieuwen get a rare night off, the Cougars may get to see Mackenzie Skapski, a 17-year-old from Abbotsford who is certainly more than capable of playing and winning for Kootenay. He is 4-1 with a 2.60 goals against average and a save percentage of .898.
X-Factor:
Centerman Elgin Peace has put together a solid start for the Ice offensively. Heading into tonight, Pearce has tallied nine go0als and nine assists and sits third overall in team scoring. Pearce has also added three goals on the power play which is good enough for the team lead. The Ice have a very balanced attack, and Pearce is just one of many Kootenay forwards that can burn you if you let him.
PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS:
Overview:
After a solid start to the month of November, the Prince George Cougars are 0-3-0-1 in their last four games. Heading into this week the Cougars trail the eighth place Seattle Thunderbirds by four points in the Western Conference. The Cougars dropped two in a row this weekend to Kelowna.
Who’s Up Front:
18-year-old forward Caleb Belter seems to be skating with a lot more confidence as of late. Belter had a goal and an assist this weekend, and seems to be thriving on a line with Charles Inglis and Greg Fraser. Belter has more offensively skill than he’s given credit for, and if he can start to produce consistently on offense, it will serve as a great bonus for the Cougars who are still having trouble scoring more than two or three goals per game.
Who’s on D:
Even though he didn’t score any goals or put up any helpers, Martin Marincin was a man among boys through spurts of Saturday’s game with Kelowna. Marincin proved once again that when he wants to, he can be the most effective and lethal player on the ice. He’s fast, strong, smart and skilled, and has the ability to take a game over. If Marincin puts forth a similar performance tonight against Kootenay, the Cougars will have a great chance to win.
Who’s in Goal:
With four games in the next five nights it’s likely that we’ll see both Drew Owsley and Devon Fordyce get some playing time. Still no official word on who gets the call tonight, but I would bank on Drew Owsley getting the call against the defending WHL Champs. Time will tell of course.
X-Factor:
Discipline is of the utmost importance when playing any team in this league, but especially a team like Kootenay that has a lot of depth and a lot of confidence. While it may not have cost the Cougars Saturday, a lack of discipline was still a definite factor in the Cougars loss to Kelowna on Saturday. If the Cougars can regain some confidence on the power play and hold Kootenay to as few power play chances as possible, the Cougars will have a great chance to defeat the Kootenay Ice.
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I wanted to make a comment regarding a comment that was on your blog yesterday regarding some questionable trades and releases that the Cougars have made lately. But the comment is gone, why? Is your blog comments being edited and approved by the Cougars organization now? Come on, the guy had some fair comments and no bad language, he was just telling it like it is for a fan. So what's the deal? So what, the Cougars GM doesn't like an criticism? I totally agree with the comment that is now deleted, changes need to be made in other areas, it's not the guys on the ice, it's the guys picking, choosing, trading and releasing players. Come on, post what comes in and give every fan a voice and opinion. That's what blogs are all about! I truly hope the Cougars turn it around, but it's not looking so good. Too bad for the players, shame on the GM and Coaching Staff. Yes, I am a Cougar fan, not a disgruntled fan but rather a very disappointed fan. Time for a change in the ranks within the organization!
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