Cougars Rally to Earn Point in Shootout Setback to Broncos
PRINCE GEORGE, BC – The Prince George Cougars battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a point in a 3-2 shootout setback to the Swift Current Broncos on Sunday afternoon in front of 3,559 fans at the CN Centre.
Aiden Foster and Dermot Johnston scored for the Cougars, while Tre Peck also found the back of the net in the shootout. Peyton Shore made 24 saves on 26 shots.
The Broncos opened the scoring in the first period when Oliver Torkki tipped a point shot from Colton Alain past Shore to give Swift Current a 1-0 lead at 11:44. The Broncos doubled their advantage at 14:59 when Brendan Rudolph fired a shot through traffic from the midpoint and past Shore to make it 2-0. The Cats were held to just three shots in the opening period.
In the second, the Cougars wasted little time finding life. Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Aiden Foster pounced on a rebound from a Jett Lajoie shot just 10 seconds into the period to bring Prince George within one. Shortly after, Foster was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for checking from behind. The Cougars’ penalty killers rose to the occasion, limiting Swift Current’s opportunities and successfully killing off the extended penalty. One of the highlights of the kill came courtesy of Broncos goaltender Cal Conway, who made a spectacular paddle save to rob 20-year-old forward Riley Ashe. The score remained 2-1 Swift Current through 40 minutes.
In the third period, Conway continued to shine, making a magnificent pad save on a Tre Peck and Townes Kozicky two-on-one opportunity. However, the Cougars’ persistence paid off at 9:57 when a point shot from Dermot Johnston found its way through traffic and past Conway to tie the game at two. The goal marked Johnston’s first in the Western Hockey League. In the dying seconds of regulation, Conway came up with another terrific save to preserve the tie and send the game to overtime.
The Cougars outshot the Broncos 3-0 in the extra frame but were unable to find the game-winner, sending the contest to a shootout. It took an additional round of shooters to decide the outcome, with Ty Meunier scoring the winner to lift the Broncos to a 3-2 victory.
Post-Game Notes:
- Kolten Bridgeman made his Prince George Cougars debut.
- The contest marked the Cougars’ lone Sunday home game of the season.
- Dermot Johnston scored his first career WHL goal.
- Tre Peck scored his first career WHL shootout goal.
- The last shootout between the Cougars and Broncos came on October 20, 2007, when Ty Wishart scored the winner.
- The setback marked the Cougars’ first loss to the Broncos since the 2022-23 season.
Post-Game Reaction:
GM & Head Coach Mark Lamb:
How it Happened:
First Period:
11:44 | SC – Oliver Torkki (3) from Colton Alain and Trae Wilke
14:59 | SC – Brendan Rudolph (2) from Jayden Oleskiw
Second Period:
0:10 | PG – Aiden Foster (5) from Jett Lajoie and Phoenix Cahill
Third Period:
9:57 | PG – Dermot Johnston (1) from Lee Shurgot and Tre Peck
Shootout:
PG | Dmitri Yakutsenak – Miss
SC | Kayd Ruedig – Miss
PG | Tre Peck – Goal
SC | Stepan Farushev – Goal
PG | Kayden Lemire – Miss
SC | Ty Meunier – Goal
