Top 5 Thrilling Games Of Cougars 2010-11 Season

Over the course of a 72 game season, you hope most games as a viewer will be entertaining.  Without question, that was case during the Cougars 2010-11 campaign that saw the team get back into the playoffs with a 33-35-2-2 record.  We take a look at the top 5 thrilling games that had the crowd, either at CN Centre in Prince George or out-of-town venues, on the edge of their seats.

#5 – Cougars 3 Blazers 2, December 17, CN Centre

In a season series that saw the Cougars out-score the Blazers 40-23, it was a low scoring game prior to the Christmas break that kicks off our list.  The Cougars and Blazers were meeting for the first of two at CN Centre on December 17, the first home game for the Cougars against the Blazers on the year.  The Cougars came into the game just three points ahead of the Blazers in the standings and the Blazers opened the scoring in the first period mid-way through, but the Cougars responded on a goal by Cody Carlson with over four minutes to play.  The Blazers had a big second period, but not as big as Cougars goalie Ty Rimmer, who kicked out all 18 shots he faced.  The Cougars also led 2-1 through 40 minutes after Taylor Stefishen scored with over five minutes to go in the period.  But in the third, Prince George product Dylan Willick tied the game at 6:28.  The teams battled throughout the remainder of the third, but overtime loomed heading into the final minute of play.  But with a half-minute to go, Charles Inglis took the puck off Brendan Ranford’s stick inside the Blazer blue line.  The puck went to Greg Fraser who turned outside the left face-off circle and ripped a perfect shot under the cross bar over Jeff Bosch’s glove hand with 27.9 seconds to go.  The regulation win gave the Cougars a 17-14-2-1 record for 37 points.  The next night, Fraser scored the Teddy Bear Toss goal for the Cougars in another 3-2 win for the Cats, a victory that lifted the Cougars into first place in the BC division.

#4 – Cougars 5 Thunderbirds 1, March 12, ShoWare Centre

The only non-one goal game that makes our list was one of the biggest road victories for the Cougars all season.  Heading into the Cougars March 12 show-down with the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Cougars sat two points ahead of Kamloops and three up on the T-Birds for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference and one back of the Everett Silvertips for 7th.  The Cougars were 24 hours removed from clobbering the Vancouver Giants 8-0 at Pacific Coliseum.  The Cougars got on the board in the first period when Brett Connolly scored a power play goal off a beautiful set-up from Martin Marincin.  The Cougars out-shot the Thunderbirds 14-4 in the opening frame.  The 1-0 lead lasted until mid-way through the second period when Tyler Alos scored just after a Seattle power play and the two teams headed to the dressing room through 40 minutes knotted at one.  With two enormous points on the line, the Cougars and Thunderbirds were looking like the next goal would win.  Fortunately for Prince George, it did.  Spencer Asuchak took a pass in front of the goal in his skates and was able to beat Calvin Pickard for the go-ahead goal 11 minutes into the third.  Two minutes later, Taylor Makin gave the Cougars some insurance making it 3-1 Prince George.  Taylor Stefishen and Brock Hirsche rounded out the scoring in a 5-1 Cougars victory, a big win to give the club some breathing room for one of the two last playoff spots in the Western Conference.

#3 – Cougars 2 Thunderbirds 0, October 29, ShoWare Centre

It just so happens both games in Seattle were nail-biters.  Both were Cougars wins, as well.  Ty Rimmer, who the Cougars had picked up from the Brandon Wheat Kings earlier in October, was making his first start as a Cougars goaltender.  The Cougars were playing the second game of a four game trip that started with a 7-3 loss in Spokane two nights earlier.  Rimmer’s opposition was Thunderbirds stand-out stopper Calvin Pickard, would be earning an invite to Canada’s World Junior Camp in December.  A penalty filled first period went scoreless, with Seattle out-shooting the Cougars 12-8.  No scoring in the second period, as it was becoming apparent that Ty Rimmer had the potential to be a very handy guy between the Cougars pipes, making some timely and dazzling saves.  For the first and only time in the regular season, the Cougars were headed to the dressing room through 40 minutes in a scoreless tie.  Both goalies were great and were unsolved until there were six minutes to go in regulation time.  It was Pickard who blinked first.  With the Cougars on a late power play, Nick Buonassisi took a rebound in front and with Pickard trying to find the puck, Buonassisi ripped home the first goal of the game.  Two and a half minutes later, Taylor Stefishen connected on a wrap-around attempt to make it 2-0 Prince George.  The Cougars had to survive another T-Birds power play not long after, but Rimmer would hold down the fort and pick up his first WHL shut-out, making 36 saves in the 2-0 victory.  Rimmer was great again the next night in a 4-3 shoot-out win over Tri-City.

#2 – Cougars 3 Giants 2 SO, November 13, Pacific Coliseum

The Cougars paid their first visit to Vancouver in mid-November, coming on the heels of back-to-back road losses, both to Kelowna.  The Giants had a leg-up in the season series, taking the Cougars opening home games on October 1 and 2.  In the first period at Pacific Coliseum on November 13, the Giants had a full two minute 5-on-3 power play to work with and they made it count in the final seconds on a Brendan Gallagher goal.  Matt MacKay made it 2-0 Giants through one period, completely dominating the first period.  The Cougars were out-shot 22-8.  The Cougars started to pick up their play in the second period, out-shooting Vancouver 9-5, but still trailed by a pair of goals.  The Cougars had no wins during the 2009-10 season when trailing after two and hadn’t won a game in 2010-11 when in that situation.  But Taylor Stefishen got the come-back started five minutes into the third with a lucky bounce from a rebound off Brendan Jensen’s goal pad that went in off Stefishen.  Then with the Cougars on the man-advantage, Martin Marincin ripped home a slap shot at 8:39 to tie the game at two.  Both teams nearly won it in regulation, but the game headed to extra time.  No scoring over five minutes of overtime put the game into a shoot-out.  After no goals in the first two rounds, Matt MacKay scored on Ty Rimmer to give the Giants a lead.  Brett Connolly took the third Cougars shot, following a game that saw the Cougars Captain have numerous chances to score.  He made good in the shoot-out, forcing an extra round by going high glove side.  Rimmer then stopped Gallagher, putting the game in the hands of 16-year old Troy Bourke.  The Onoway, Alberta product made a couple of shifty moves, then just snuck the puck between Jensen’s right skate and goal post to lift the Cougars to the win.  The victory kicked off a three game road winning streak for the Cougars and was their second shoot-out win of the year.  Rimmer stopped 37 shots in regulation and overtime and three of four in the shoot-out.

#1 – Cougars 3 Blazers 2 SO, March 18, Interior Savings Centre

This was a pretty easy top spot pick.  The playoffs hung in the balance for the Cougars and Blazers going into the second last game of the season for both teams.  The Cougars led the Blazers by three points for eighth in the Western Conference and needed one point to guarantee they would finish no worse than tied with Kamloops at the end of the regular season.  A win, however, would eliminate the Blazers from playoff contention, with the teams slated to meet the next night in Prince George.  If Kamloops won both games in regulation, the Cougars season was done.  Cougars Captain Brett Connolly opened the scoring with two goals 30 seconds apart in the first period.  Bernhard Keil made it 2-1 Cougars later in the first period.  The Cougars carried that 2-1 lead into the third, but early on, Thomas Frazee tied the game on a redirection in front of Ty Rimmer.  The game was headed to overtime, with time expiring in the third barely before the Blazers found the back of the net as the clock hit zero.  The teams went to overtime for the first time in the season series and the Cougars had a couple of chances to win the game.  The best on a 4-on-3 power play when Martin Marincin pounded a one-time shot from the right point, but Jeff Bosch kicked it out with his left pad.  On to the shoot-out where the first six shooters for both teams failed to score.  Rimmer then stopped Jordan DePape in the seventh round.  Head Coach Dean Clark said after the game that Charles Inglis looked at him and said, “I got this”.  Did he ever.  With a forehand move, Inglis popped the water bottle off the top of the Blazer goal, giving the Cougars a 3-2 victory.  With Seattle losing in regulation that night, the goal also put the Cougars into the 2011 WHL playoffs.  The Cougars won their sixth straight game over the Blazers.  The next night, they would make it seven in a row, clinching the seventh seed in the Western Conference with a 5-1 win to close out the 2010-11 regular season.