Cougars - Blades Preview.

The Prince George Cougars continue their seven-game road swing tonight in Saskatoon against Lorne Molleken’s Saskatoon Blades.




Who’s Up Front:

Gone are the likes of Brayden Schenn and Curtis Hamilton, but make no mistake the Blades are still highly potent up front. Leading the Blades so far is 20-year-old forward Jesse Paradis. The former Kelowna Rocket and Moose Jaw Warrior has tallied five points in his first four games. Fellow forward Jake Trask has also recorded five points.

Who’s On D:

Defensively the Blades are solid. Leading the way offensively is 18-year-old Darren Dietz. Dietz has tallied four points so far this season and is a +4. Another d-man to watch will be 2011 first-rounder Duncan Siemens. The Colorado Avalanche prospect will likely get a ton of ice-time tonight and is as tough a defender as they come in the Western Hockey League.

Who’s in Goal:

So far through two games, the Blades have split the goaltending duties between Adam Morrison and Andrey Makarov, but yesterday the Blades dealt Morrison to the Vancouver Giants, which suggests that Makarov will go tonight for Saskatoon. So far the 18-year-old has posted a 2-0 record with a save percentage of .928.

X-Factor:

19-year-old forward Josh Nicholls is coming off an 86 point season last year with the Blades and so far has averaged a point-per-game so far this season. Nicholls is a dynamic winger with a great shot, and the Cats will need to be weary of Nicholls presence on the ice tonight.




Who’s Up Front:

16-year-old forward Alex Forsberg continues to impress in the early stages of his WHL career. Forsberg tallied once and added an assist for Prince George en route to the 6-3 victory in Prince Albert. Forsberg leads all Cougars forwards with five points in four games.



Who’s on D:

The duo of Daniel Gibb and Cody Carlson have been outstanding so far for the Prince George Cougars. Carlson has been impressive with five assists through four games. He’s also logged key minutes against the opposing team’s top lines. Dan Gibb’s offense hasn’t been as flashy, but he has been the epitome of dependable early on this season. Carlson and Gibb were able to keep Mark McNeil and Brandon Herrod in check last night, and they’ll likely be billed with the task of keeping Nicholls, Trask, Paradis and Stransky off the score-sheet tonight as well.

Who’s in Goal:

A great bounce-back effort from Drew Owsley last night in Prince Albert. Owsley stopped 33 of 36 shots faced, and made tough saves look easy. No word yet on whether Drew Owsley will be getting the call again tonight. If not, we may see Devon Fordyce get his first start.

X-Factor:

Discipline. The Cougars owe a ton of their success last night to their disciplined game. They only took two penalties against the Raiders, and right now their PK sits 4th overall in the WHL. If they can stay out of the box, and do their best to draw penalties, they’ll have a great shot at grabbing their second straight victory on this seven-game road trip.

Cougars 6 - Raiders 3

The Prince George Cougars got their seven-game road-trip off to a good start with a 6-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. Alex Forsberg, Jordan Tkatch, Martin Marincin and Cody Carlson all had multi-point nights, and Drew Owsley made 33 saves for his second win off the season.

The Cats led 2-1 after one period. Nick Buonassisi opened the scoring with a short-handed marker which stemmed from some nice patience from Cody Carlson. Carlson faked a slap-shot, caught Cole Holowenko cheating, and slid a pass to Buonassisi who made no mistake. Spencer Asuchak made it 2-0 when he redirected home a Martin Marincin point-shot for his first of the 2011-2012 campaign.

The Raiders would get one back when Mike Winther tallied short-handed with 59 seconds remaining in the first period. Both teams recorded 15 shots in the first period.

Another first period highlight was when Wilson Dumais (playing in his first game of 2011-2012) received a penalty shot. Dumais made a great forehand move, but was denied by the right pad of Cole Holowenko.

Early in the second, the Prince George Cougars increased their lead to 3-1. Cody Carlson chipped a neat pass up to Jordan Tkatch, who raced down the right side and roofed one over the shoulder of Holowenko.

Justin Maylan’s fourth of the season put Prince Albert back within one, but the Cats quickly countered with Taylor Thompson’s deflection-goal on the power play and they skated into the locker room with a 4-2 lead.

Justin Maylan’s second of the night got Prince Albert back within one early in the third, but Alex Forsberg increased the lead back to two with a gorgeous wrap-around effort. Caleb Belter added the empty-netter to seal the deal.

The Cougars received a strong bounce-back game from goaltender Drew Owsley. Owsley stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced, and controlled his rebounds very well throughout the contest.

The Cats finished one-for-four on the man-advantage while Prince Albert went 0-2. As impressive as their six-goal out0ut was, their defensive play was also strong. Together the tandem of Dan Gibb and Cody Carlson was able to keep Mark McNeil and Brandon Herrod off the score sheet.

The victory improves the Cougars record to 2-1-0-1. They’ll look to continue their winning trend on the road tomorrow night in Saskatoon against the Blades.

Cougars - Raiders Preview.

The Prince George Cougars are off to the Art Hauser Center for their lone meeting of the season with the Prince Albert Raiders. Last season the Cats were victorious against Prince Albert, and are 3-1-1-0 against them over the past five seasons. Here’s the preview for the game.



Overview:

Bruno Campese’s club is 1-3-0-1 to start the 2011-2012 season. They dropped four in a row before a dominant 7-2 victory over Red Deer on Saturday. Don’t let the slow start fool you, the Raiders have a ton of great talent, and will no doubt be ready to go on home ice tonight.

Who’s Up Front:

The Raiders are led by two formidable forwards with a ton of upside. Brandon Herrod has tallied eight points through five games, and 18-year-old forward Mark McNeil is not too far off with seven points so far. The Cats will need to stay disciplined and not allow these two forwards extra time and space. If they can keep these two players quiet, they’ll have a great chance at success.

Who’s on D:

20-year-old defenceman James Bettauer has contributed five points in the first five games of the season for the Raiders. He’s already tallied three goals and is a +2 on the season.

Who’s in Goal:

The Raiders have two 18-year-old goaltenders who are very capable of winning hockey games. Cole Holowenko was the victor in Saturday’s 7-2 triumph over Red Deer. His counterpart Eric Williams is off to a bit of a slow start with an 0-2-0-1 record, but Williams showed last year that he can be a truly dynamic puck-stopper. The Prince George Cougars will be in tough regardless of who they face.

X-Factor:

20-year-old Justin Maylan is off to a solid start to the season with five points in five games. Maylan averaged over a point-per-game last season, and has proven that he can be a consistent point-producer in this league. The last thing the Cats want is to take a player like Maylan too lightly.



Overview:

The Cats are coming off two consecutive weekend losses ot the Victoria Royals. They showed glimpses of promise in both games, but too many mistakes in the defensive-zone cost them in the standings. They are 1-0 on the road this season and would love to kick off this seven-game road trip with two valuable points.

Who’s Up Front:

One of the bright spots late in Saturday’s game was the fact that several forwards stepped up their play with the absense of Charles Inglis. Nick Buonassisi scored his first goal of the season, and a long with Greg Fraser recorded a two-point night. Fraser and Buonassisi will have to continue that type of production on this road swing, and there’s no doubt that both are equally capable of doing so.

Who’s on D:

The Prince George Cougars have received strong offensive contributions early from both Cody Carlson and Martin Marincin. Carlson has three points in three games while Marincin has three points in two. With the injury to Brock Hirsche and the uncertainty surrounding Charles Inglis, it will be up to the defense to chip in offensively while still playing responsibly in their own zone.

Who’s in Goal:

Devon Fordyce saw his first true test of Western Hockey League competition on Saturday when he relieved Drew Owsley 11 minutes into the first period. It’ll be a busy couple of weeks for the Cats, and my guess is that both goaltenders will see some work during the trip. No decision has been made public yet as to which goaltender will get the call in Prince Albert.

X-Factor:

Another player coming off a multi-point night is 16-year-old Alex Forsberg. Forsberg had a three-point weekend, and showed some strong confidence and skill. Forsberg will likely be looking at an enhanced role offensively, and has made it no secret that he wants to be ‘counted on’ to produce.

Charles Inglis Suspended for 10 Games.

The Prince George Cougars will be without their leading goal scorer for most of the month.

The Western Hockey League has announced that Prince George Cougars forward Charles Inglis has received a 10-game suspension due to a Checking to the Head match penalty that he received in the third period of Saturday’s game with Victoria.

“These are the types of hits all leagues are trying to get out of the game,” said Prince George Cougars General Manager Dallas Thompson. “Unfortunately we had an incident. Now the suspension has come down. We move on.”

The suspension to Inglis takes effect immediately and he’ll be eligible to return on Wednesday, October 26th when the Prince George Cougars play in Kelowna.

Weekend Photos.

*All Photos by: Julie Larson



Charles Inglis Celebrates His Game-Tying Goal.



Alex Forsberg Had a Big Night.



Josh Smith Pursues the Puck.



Cougars Huddle Up Before Puck Drop.



Asuchak Battles Crooks.



Devon Fordyce Makes the Save.

Cats Comeback Falls Just Short.

The Prince George Cougars nearly completed a four-goal comeback in the third period, but fell just short in a 6-5 loss to the Victoria Royals. Jamie Crooks had three goals for Victoria while four different Cougars had multi-point games.

Victoria led 4-0 after one period. Their first goal came just 47 seconds in on the power play thanks to a low point-shot from Kade Pilton.

Jamie Crooks’ first of three would come at 8:12. Moments later Hayden Rintoul tallied on the man-advantage, and that spelt the end of the night for Drew Owsley in goal. Owsley was pulled in favour of Devon Fordyce who finished the game for the Cats.

Crooks would add one more in the period, and Victoria had a comfortable 4-0 lead.

Early in the second, Crooks completed his hat-trick and the Royals appeared to be in complete control. The Cats put a dent in their lead though at 6:31 while short-handed. Troy Bourke converted his second goal of the season thanks to some great work down low by Spencer Asuchak. Charles Inglis (3) would add a power play marker, and all of a sudden it was 5-2 game.

Kevin Sundher helped regain a four-goal lead with his second of the season, and the Royals skated into the second intermission with a 6-2 lead.

Early in the third, it went from bad to worse for Prince George. Charles Inglis was kicked out of the game for a checking-to-the-head penalty, and the Cats had to kill off a five minute major penalty. They did.

Then came the flurry of offense. Nick Buonassisi made it 6-3 with his first goal of the 2011-2012 campaign, and Greg Fraser quickly followed with a power play marker to make it 6-4. Jake Mykitiuk then converted on a breakaway for his first ever WHL goal, and all of a sudden it was 6-5.

The Cats came eerily close to tying the score at six, but Jordan Tkatch was denied in close by Braden Gamble.

The Cats record falls to 1-1-0-1 while the Royals improve to 3-1 on the season. The Cats did manage to score twice on the power play and finished the game two-for-seven. Victoria on the other side finished two-for-six. The Cats outshot Victoria 30-29 in defeat.

Next up for the Cougars: A seven game road trip which begins Tuesday night in Prince Albert.

Cougars Royals Preview (Part Two)

The Prince George Cougars and Victoria Royals will square off again tonight at CN Centre. Last night the Victoria Royals defeated the Prince George Cougars 5-4 in a shootout. The Cats will look to grab two points tonight and hit the road to the Prairies with as much confidence as possible.




Overview:


The Victoria Royals have to be feeling pretty good about themselves. They have won two straight games, and have received timely offense, and terrific goaltending so far this season. They head into tonight’s game with a 2-1 record overall.

Who’s Up Front:


Perhaps the most dangerous player up front for Victoria last night was forward Robin Soudek. Soudek used his size to his advantage and was able to contribute with a goal and an assist. Soudek is averaging a goal a game so far this season, and the Cats will need to keep him in check if they want to earn two points.


Who’s on D:



The defensive stand out last night for Victoria was 20-year-old Hayden Rintoul. Rintoul skated with such poise, and moved the puck really well. There was nothing overly flashy about his game, but certainly Rintoul had a calming influence on his team last night, and contributed in a lot of small ways to their 5-4 shootout victory.

Who’s in Goal:

Head coach Marc Habscheid has an interesting decision to make here. Two games in two nights would normally mean that two different goalies get a chance to play. But when Keith Hamilton made 47 saves and two more in the shootout, it may be difficult to veer away from Hamilton. 20-year-old Braden Gamble and 17-year-old Jared Rathjen are the other alternatives in goal.

X-Factor:

17-year-old forward Steven Hodges is off to a strong start this season. In three games, Hodges has scored twice and has four points overall. Hodges scored a nice goal short-handed last night, and showed strong speed throughout the game. T he Cats will need to be aware of when Hodges is on the ice, and need to try and cool him off a little bit.





Overview:

The Prince George Cougars are 1-0-0-1 to start the season, and may have deserved a better fate than a shootout loss last night. They outshot Victoria by a wide margin of 52-25, and had several great chances to score. A similar offensive effort tonight will go a long way to help the Cats reach a 2-0-0-1 record.


Who’s Up Front:

It was a special night for two 16-year-old forwards. Both Alex Forsberg and Jarrett Fontaine scored their first ever WHL regular-season goals, and both did not look out of place at all. Add the likes of Jake Mykitiuk and Jordan Tkatch up front, and these 95-born players are showing that they can compete and contribute at this level.

Who’s on D:

Through the first two games Dan Gibb has been outstanding. Gibb has shown that he is reliable at both ends of the ice, and has shown some strong confidence with the puck. The Prince George d-man tallied an assist in last night’s game, and also logged some key minutes against the top Victoria forwards. The coaching staff has raved about Dan Gibb so far, and we’ll soon find out if he’s got another strong performance up his sleeve tonight.

Who’s in Goal:

Dean Clark has a tough call to make here. Does he go back with Drew Owsley? Or does he give Devon Fordyce his first start of the season? The Cats have a lengthy road-trip coming up, and I’m sure that Devon Fordyce will be given a game or two during that trip. Right now in my mind it’s a coin-flip, and I guess we will find out closer to game time which way Dean Clark will go with the goaltending tonight.

X-Factor:

The trio of Nick Buonassisi, Charles Inglis and Troy Bourke was great in last night’s game. They all skated well, controlled the puck nicely and provided two of the team’s four goals. It’ll be up to these three to once again lead the charge offensively and there’s no doubt in my mind that they are ready and willing to do so.

Tonight’s game goes at 7:00 from CN Centre.