Cougars’ Third-Period Surge Falls Short in 6–4 Loss to Everett
PRINCE GEORGE, BC – The Prince George Cougars mounted an impressive third-period comeback effort but ultimately fell 6–4 to the Everett Silvertips on Sunday afternoon at the CN Centre.
Kooper Gizowski led the Cougars with a pair of goals, while Jett Lajoie and Riley Ashe also found the back of the net. Josh Ravensbergen turned aside 28 of 33 shots in a penalty-filled contest.
The opening period mirrored Saturday night’s affair, as scoring came late in the frame. Kooper Gizowski opened the scoring at 15:54, ripping a one-timer from the right circle to give Prince George a 1–0 lead. The Cougars carried that advantage into the first intermission.
The second period featured a flurry of penalties, including multiple fights and misconducts, but it was Everett that capitalized on the scoreboard. Mattias Vanhanen tied the game at 3:28 before Landon DuPont blasted a power-play goal from the blue line at 8:22 to give the Silvertips their first lead. Everett added another at 17:25 when Jaxsin Vaughan buried a loose puck in tight, sending the visitors into the third period with a 3–1 lead.
Prince George showed resilience in the final frame, storming back to erase the deficit. Jett Lajoie pulled the Cougars within one at 3:08 on the power play, finishing off a cross-ice feed from Kaeson Fisher, who recorded his first point as a Cougar. Just 64 seconds later, Everett restored its two-goal cushion as Rhys Jamieson converted on a 2-on-1 rush to make it 4–2.
The Cougars answered again 64 seconds after that, as Riley Ashe battled in front of the net and tipped home a goal to cut the deficit to one in his first game back following a three-game suspension. At 8:59, Prince George completed the comeback when Gizowski snapped a power-play wrist shot from the right circle past Raiden LeGall to tie the game at four, igniting the CN Centre crowd.
Everett responded quickly, regaining the lead just 61 seconds later when Kayd Ruedig fired a shot from the blue line that found its way past Ravensbergen. The Silvertips sealed the victory with an empty-net goal from Vaughan at 18:45, handing the Cougars their seventh consecutive loss.
Post-Game Interview with GM & Head Coach Mark Lamb
The Cougars return to action on Friday January 16th when they visit the Kamloops Blazers at 7:00 pm at the Sandman Centre.
