The Prince George Cougars and Calgary Hitmen meet for the second and final time this season tonight at the Saddledome in Calgary. Tonight’s game marks the second game of a three-game Alberta road-swing for the Cougars.
Overview:
The last time these teams met was December 28th in Prince George. The Cougars defeated Calgary 3-1. Since that game, the Hitmen went on to win eight consecutive games before falling Wednesday to Medicine Hat. The Hitmen are rolling, and enter tonight’s game with a record of 25-17-1-2 and currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference.
Who’s Up Front:
Leading the way offensively for Calgary is 19-year-old forward Cody Sylvester. Sylvester has 51 points through 42 games. Sylvester has 17 goals this season, and had the lone tally for Calgary against Prince George on December 28th.
Who’s on D:
Defensively the Calgary Hitmen have received great contributions from 20-year-old Collin Bowman. Bowman has 28 points through 41 games and is a +8 for Mike Williamson’s hockey club.
Who’s in Goal:
The Calgary Hitmen boast two very capable goaltenders in Chris Driedger and Brandon Glover. Glover played against the Cougars on December 28th and took the loss. Driedger is 11-7-2-1 while Glover is 14-9.
X-Factor:
20-year-old forward Jimmy Bubnick leads all Calgary players with 20 goals on the season. Bubnick has scored seven of his 20 on the power play, and has been a consistent threat all season having posted 43 points in 45 games. He’s the only member of the Hitmen to dress in all 45 games so far this season. The Cougars will need to keep Bubnick in check if they want to secure two points.
Overview:
The Prince George Cougars come into tonight’s game having won three of their last 10 games. The Cougars are 15-27-0-2 and are still (barely) on the outside looking into the playoff picture in the Western Conference. The Cougars did earn a 3-1 victory against Calgary back on December 28th at home.
Who’s Up Front:
Troy Bourke, Alex Forsberg and Daulton Siwak were silenced in last night’s game with Edmonton and are too talented a group to be silenced for long. Both Siwak and Forsberg weren’t there on December 28th when the Cougars beat Calgary. Forsberg was at U-17’s while Daulton Siwak was still a member of the Red Deer Rebels. Troy Bourke opened the scoring against Calgary on December 28th, but hasn’t scored since.
Who’s on D:
Cougars captain Jesse Forsberg now leads the Cougars in plus-minus with a +3 rating on the season. The elder Forsberg is playing some of his best hockey right now, and I’d expect nothing different from Forsberg tonight in Calgary.
Who’s in Goal:
Drew Owsley stopped 50 pucks against Edmonton on Wednesday, and continues to be very busy between the pipes. With two games in two nights coming up for the Cougars, it would seem likely that both Drew Owsley and Devon Fordyce will get a start, but nothing is etched in stone. If whoever starts in goal tomorrow night plays extremely well, then they could start again on Saturday.
X-Factor:
Shots. Shots. Shots. After being silenced Wednesday in Edmonton, the onus will be on ALL of the Cougars forwards to bring their best effort. The Cougars have been outshot in 12 consecutive games, and they will need to put more pucks on goal. Keep in mind that the Cougars are coming off a weekend where they scored 10 goals in two games, so you know that the capability is there.
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