Cougars Collect Seventh Straight Win in Thrilling Fashion over Silvertips
EVERETT, WA – The Prince George Cougars just keep on winning hockey games. The team collected their seventh straight win with a character 4-3 win over the league-leading Everett Silvertips, Saturday at the Angel of the Winds Arena. This win marks the Cougars first victory in Everett since December of 2019.
The Cougars wasted no time getting on the board, striking early at the 3:53 mark with a one-time blast from Viliam Kmec to take a 1-0 lead. Late in the period, Koehn Ziemmer delivered a massive hit on Everett defenseman Landon DuPont, which led to a fight moments later between Ziemmer and Carter Bear. Prince George held onto their 1-0 lead through 20 minutes.
Early in the second, Terik Parascak was forced to leave the game just over two minutes in after a scary collision. He did not return. At 10:37, the Cougars extended their lead to 2-0 as Ben Riche perfectly redirected a shot in front of the net. Everett responded with a power-play goal at 13:16 to cut the deficit in half. However, Borya Valis quickly restored the two-goal cushion, stripping an Everett defender of the puck and making a slick move to the backhand to put Prince George up 3-1. The Cougars then ran into penalty trouble, and Everett capitalized with another power-play goal in the final 20 seconds of the period. Prince George carried a 3-2 lead into the third.
The final frame was nothing short of chaotic. Everett opened the period on the power play, but the defense pairing of Bauer Dumanski and Viliam Kmec blocked numerous shots throughout the penalty kill, with Cooper Michaluk making several key saves. The Cougars then struck again as Ben Riche rifled home a one-timer from the slot, thanks to a great setup by Jett Lajoie, to extend the lead to 4-2. The Silvertips, however, refused to go away, making it 4-3 at the 4:44 mark. Everett applied heavy pressure, hemming the Cougars in their own zone multiple times, but the Cats did a tremendous job blocking shots and making timely plays. Despite being outshot 15-3 in the third, the Cougars held on for a thrilling 4-3 victory at Angel of the Winds Arena.
Stats and Standouts:
–Ben Riche scored twice in the victory, one of which was the game-winning goal
–Cooper Michaluk earned his second straight win with a terrific performance, making 28 saves
–Jett Lajoie had a fantastic night collecting two assists and was +4
–Borya Valis scored his 32nd of the season and also finished the game +4
–Corbin Vaughan earned an assist and was +3
They Said It…
Assistant Coach Carter Rigby on tonight’s win…
Whats Next?
The Cougars conclude three games in three nights tomorrow when they face the Vancouver Giants at 4:00 pm at the Langley Events Centre.
Next Game: Sunday, Mar. 9 at Vancouver | 4:00 pm
Next Home Game: Friday, Mar, 14 vs. Wenatchee | 7:00 pm
