GAME 1 PREVIEW: Cougars vs Winterhawks | Western Conference Championship
COUGARS VS WINTERHAWKS – ROUND 3, GAME 1
LISTEN: 94.3 THE GOAT
WATCH: WHL LIVE
MATCH-UP INFO
- Tonight marks the fifth meeting between the Cougars and Winterhawks in the playoffs. The previous matchup was played in 2022-23 when the Portland Winterhawks defeated the Prince George Cougars in four games
- Prince George split their season series against Portland: Dec. 3 (road, 4-0 PG), Jan. 6 (road, 4-3 POR), Jan. 19 (home, 3-2 PG), and Jan. 20 (home, 2-1 POR).
- In the last five seasons, the Cougars are 3-4-1-0 against the Winterhawks on home ice
- The Cougars are 5-3-0-0 against the Winterhawks in their last eight meetings.
- Zac Funk leads all Cougar skaters in scoring against Portland this season with 7 points (4-3-7) in 4 regular season games.
- Riley Heidt (1-2-3) has three points in three post-season games against Portland.
- In three games this season (2-1-0-0), Josh Ravensbergen has a 2.01 GAA and a .932 save percentage vs. Portland.
- Ty Young is 0-1 vs Portland this season while possessing a 2.04 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
QUICK NUMBERS
- Riley Heidt has recorded 16 points (3-13-16) in nine playoff games in 2024. He currently ranks first for points among Cougars’ skaters and ranked 3rd among WHL skaters. Heidt finished the regular season with 117 points (37-80-117) which ranked third in the WHL and second in league assists.
- Zac Funk owns 15 points (7-8-15) in nine playoff games for Prince George this spring. Funk’s seven tallies rank T-3rd in the WHL. The Washington Capitals prospect paced the WHL in scoring this season, finding the back of the net 67 times.
- Draft-eligible forward Terik Parascak has put together an impressive stat-line for his first full crack at the WHL playoffs. Parascak has collected 12 points (5-7-12) in nine playoff games which ranks first among all WHL rookies.
- The Prince George Cougars finished 2nd in the WHL season, 1st in the Western Conference, and clinched the BC Division. The Cougars’ 49-15-1-3 record marked the best season in team history. Prince George also posted the best road record in the WHL this season with a 24-8-0-2 record.
2023-2024 POST-SEASON TEAM RANKS
PG | POR | |
GOALS FOR/GAME | 4.4 (T-2nd) | 5.25 (1st) |
GOALS AGAINST/GAME | 1.8 (2nd) | 2 (3rd) |
POWER-PLAY % | 28.9% (4th) | 41.4 (1st) |
PENALTY-KILL % | 96.8% (1st) | 81.1 (5th) |
PENALTY MIN./GAME | 11.2 (2nd Most) | 13.7 (1st Most) |
LAST GAME PLAYED – APR. 19/24: PG 6 vs KEL 3
Zac Funk opened the scoring for the game with his 5th of the post-season at 7:55…assisted by Riley Heidt and Hudson Thornton…Kelowna scored two goals in 15 seconds in the second period…Jett Lajoie tied the game at 9:10…Chase Pauls and Hudson Thornton were credited with the assists…Zac Funk scored his second of the game at 10:28…Viliam Kmec and Ondrej Becher picked up the helpers…Riley Heidt tucked in his second of the playoffs at 13:43…Aiden Foster and Keaton Dowhaniuk earned the assists…Heidt scored his second of the game shortly afterward at 17:44…Carlin Dezainde and Terik Parascak had the assists on the tally…Zac Funk netted his first career WHL hat-trick at 19:48…assisted by Terik Parascak and Riley Heidt…Kelowna made it 6-3 in the third period at 2:51…Zac Funk led the game in shots (6)…Riley Heidt led PG in faceoff wins (17/29)
LAST 4 – vs PORTLAND
- Dec. 2/23: PG 4 at POR 0
- Jan. 6/24: PG 3 at POR 4
- Jan 19/24: PG 3 vs POR 2
- Jan 20/24: PG 1 vs POR 2
WE WANT THE FUNK
- After scoring 67 goals and 123 points (67-56-123) during the 2023/24 regular season, Zac Funk broke the Cougars’ single-season record for goals, surpassing Quinn Hancock’s record in 1997.
- Zac Funk led all WHL skaters in plus/minus in the 2023/24 season (+56).
- Recording his 31st power-play goal on Mar. 17./24 at VAN, Zac Funk tied Eric Fehr (2004-05) for the most power-play goals in a single season in the Internet era. The 31 power-play tallies also is a team record, after surpassing former teammate Chase Wheatcroft who scored 22 power-play goals in the 2022/23 campaign
- The remarkable season for Zac Funk, consisting of 123 points (67-56-123), is statistically the best single-season by any Prince George Cougar in their 30-year history. Funk eclipsed Quinn Hancock’s record of 112 from the 1997/98 season. Funk also suited up in one less game than Hancock did (Funk, 68 GP, Hancock, 69 GP).
- On March 1st, Zac Funk signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals. Funk’s contract carries an average annual value of $810,000 (NHL) and $82,500 in the AHL.
TAKING THINGS TO NEW HEIDTS
- After recording 80 assists (37-80-117) in 2023-24, Riley Heidt broke his own record for most assists in a season by a Prince George Cougar in team history. His previous best was set last season with 72 assists (25-72-97).
- In the 2023/24 regular season, Riley Heidt became the Prince George Cougars’ all-time leader in points and assists (85-195-280). Heidt eclipsed the record that was held by Jansen Harkins who collected 167 assists and 242 points (75-167-242) in 275 games played. Heidt has suited up in 221 games as Prince George Cougar.
- Riley Heidt paced the WHL in power-play assists this season (36)
- Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt signed a three-year entry level contract with the Wild. The contract starts with the 2024/25 season. Heidt was named the WHL Player of the Week on Feb/ 26 after posting 11 points (4-7-11) in four games, along with being named the WHL Player of the Month for December after recording 24 points (7-17-24) over 11 games. The Wild selected Heidt in the second round (64th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville.
SUPER ROOKIE PART 1:
- With 43 goals in the 2023/24 season, draft-eligible forward Terik Parascak became the Cougars’ single-season goal leader among rookie skaters. Parascak surpasses alumnus Brett Connolly and current forward Koehn Ziemmer who both scored 30 goals in their respective rookie seasons.
- After a stellar rookie campaign, forward Terik Parascak (43-62-105) paced all WHL rookie skaters in points. The Lethbridge, AB native also led WHL rookies in goals, plus-minus (+49), and T-1st in power-play goals (12).
- Rookie forward Terik Parascak led all WHL rookies in shots on goal in the 2023/24 season (264) and ranked 2nd for game-winning- goals (7).
- Terik Parascak was listed as the #15 ranked North American Skater on the Final Season rankings from NHL Central Scouting
SUPER ROOKIE PART 2:
- Rookie netminder Josh Ravensbergen paced the WHL in wins in the 2023/24 season among rookie goalies (26).
- 2025 draft eligible goaltender Josh Ravensbergen (26-4-1-1) finished the 2023/24 season with a league-leading six shutouts, which tied a league rookie record. Ravensbergen also posted a 2.46 goals against average which led all WHL rookies and 5th among all goaltenders.
- Josh Ravensbergen became the fastest goalie in team history to reach six shutouts in a season, surpassing alumnus Scott Bowles in 2005-06.
- In his rookie season, undrafted goaltender Josh Ravensbergen logged 2072 minutes in the Prince George Cougar goal crease, which paced all WHL rookie goaltenders.
CZECH IT OUT
- Forward Ondrej Becher has turned many heads in his sophomore season with the Prince George Cougars. The European forward from Czechia finished the 2023/24 season with 96 points (32-64-96) in just 58 games. It’s the most points recorded by a European in PG Cougars’ history in a season
- In 121 games as a Prince George Cougar, Ondrej Becher (48-86-134) owns the most points by any European in Prince George Cougars history
- On the final season rankings listed out by NHL Central Scouting, 19-year-old forward Ondrej Becher was listed as the 69th ranked North American skater, moving up 15 spots from his previous ranking
- Cougar forward Ondrej Becher was crowned a bronze medalist at the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship with Team Czechia. Becher was a catalyst in the third place finish, netting a hat-trick in the bronze medal game.
A RECORD BREAKING SEASON
- The 2023-2024 Prince George Cougars (102 points) own the team record for most standing points throughout their 30-year history. The previous record was held by the 2016-17 Cougars, who owned 96 points through 72 games.
- The Cougars, this season, set the team record for most wins (49) in a single season. These 49 wins eclipse the 2016-17 Cougars, where they collected 45 victories.
BC DIVISION CLINCH
- By defeating the Victoria Royals on Feb. 24/24, the 2023-24 Prince George Cougars clinched the BC Division for the second time in team history. The Cats finished the regular season with a 49-15-3-1 record which also led the Western Conference.
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
- With Zac Funk, Riley Heidt, and Terik Parascak all earning 100 points in the 2023/24 season, they became the first Cougars trio in team history to accomplish this feat.
- Cougar goaltenders Josh Ravensbergen and Ty Young both had unbelievable seasons, combining for 49 wins (Ravensbergen 26, Young, 23). Statistically, the Cougar tandem is the best in a single season in team history.