Overview:
The Portland Winterhawks come into tonight’s game with a record of 41-15-2-1. They are 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 games and have won seven in a row.
Who’s Up Front:
Sven Bartschi and Ty Rattie were once again the premiere offensive factors for the Portland Winterhawks. Both Rattie and Bartschi scored twice in yesterday’s game. Rattie’s second of the game was his 50th of the season. Rattie now sits at 100 points on the season becoming the second player this season to reach that mark.
Who’s on D:
Defensively the Winterhawks got a very strong outing from Joseph Morrow in Monday’s victory. Morrow led all Portland defencemen with a goal and an assist, and moved the puck very well from the back-end. The Winterhawks are not shy about involving their defencemen in the offense, and it’ll be key for the Cougars to keep the Portland defenders neutralized tonight.
Who’s in Goal:
Portland goaltender Mac Carruth stopped 27 of the 29 shots he faced in yesterday’s game. He was tested a lot more in the third period and was able to make enough saves the necessary saves to keep his team on top.
X-Factor:
With three power play goals on Monday. The Winterhawks power play now sits first overall in the WHL. Portland are very dangerous five-on-five and if you give them the extra attacker they are even more prone to success.
Overview:
The Cougars head into tonight’s game trailing the eighth placed Victoria Royals and seventh placed Seattle Thunderbirds by two points in the Western Conference standings. A win for the Cougars could vault them into seventh place. The Cougars are 4-6-0-0 in their last 10 games and are gunning for a split on their current four game road-trip.
Who’s Up Front:
Both Troy Bourke and Daulton Siwak found the back of the net for the Cougars yesterday. For Bourke it was his 11th of the season and he now has 41 points which is one shy of last year's mark. Siwak has scored eighth goals since arriving to Prince George in a late December trade with Red Deer and leads has more goals than any other player during the second half of the season.
Who’s on D:
Dan Gibb is in the midst of a two-game point streak for the Cougars. With an assist yesterday coupled with a goal on Friday, Gibb is adding some offense to his already solid defensive game. Gibb and the rest of the Cougars will need to be at their best defensivley tonight as they once again will be facing a tough Winterhawks foe.
Who’s in Goal:
Drew Owsley was pulled from Monday's game after Portland's fifth goal came in the second period. Owsley could not really be faulted for many that went through him, and I'd expect a strong game from him if he is indeed getting the call in goal tonight. Owsley is 11-4-1-0 lifetime against Portland. Devon Fordyce provided some solid relief for the Cougars last night. he faced 26 shots and made 24 saves.
X-Factor:
Once again the major x-factor for the Cougars tonight will be discipline. The Winterhawks were three-for-six on their power plays yesterday and the Cougars need to keep them off of the power play. Granted it's a difficult task given the skill-set of the Winterhawks. But the Cougars have beaten the Winterhawks once before this season, and if they can do it again it will lift them back into the top eight of the Western Conference. That's some pretty good incentive for the Cougars tonight on the road.
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