Game Preview | Cougars at Rockets | 02/07/25
KELOWNA, BC – The Prince George Cougars will try to get back in the win column as they battle their divisional foe Kelowna Rockets.
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When: Friday, Feb. 7
Puck Drop: 7:05 pm
Listen: 94.3 The Goat
Watch: WHL Live
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Cougars Record: 28-15-4-2 (62 Points – 2nd BC Division – 4th Western Conference)
Cougars Last Game: A 4-3 OT loss to the Tri-City Americans on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
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Rockets Record: 16-27-4-1 (37 Points – 5th BC Division – 10th Western Conference)
Rockets Last Game: A 5-2 loss to the Victoria Royals on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
Last Game…
• The Cougars collected a point in the overtime setback and also registered 42 shots on goal.
• Carson Carels, Matteo Danis, and Bauer Dumanski scored the Cougar goals
• Cooper Michaluk made 32 saves in the setback.
Previous Meetings vs. KEL This Season…
January 10 – The Cats dropped a 6-3 decision in Kelowna in their first game following the trade deadline.
December 17 – Viliam Kmec collected four points in a 5-3 win. PG limited the Rockets to just 20 shots.
November 16 – The Rockets scored two goals in the final 90 seconds of the game to defeat Prince George 5-4.
November 15 – Despite being outshot 34-23, Josh Ravensbergen led the way with a 31 save performance, helping the Cougars to a 4-3 win.
October 2 – Riley Heidt and Terik Parascak propelled the Cougar offence in their return to the lineup. The duo combined for six points in a 5-2 win.
Bouncing Back…
• With Tuesday’s result in Tri-City, the Cougars have suffered five consecutive losses on the road. To keep the glass half full, the Cats do enter tonight with points in four straight games.
The Killers…
• A tough result on Tuesday didn’t significantly dull the shine on the Cougars’ penalty-kill units, as the group enters tonight’s game with the league’s 5th best kill rate (81.1%).
• The Cougars rank sixth in the WHL in short-handed goals (6)
Watch Em…
• The Cougars are on history watch tonight as captain Riley Heidt is one assist away from becoming the all-time assist leader in Cougars history (VIC & PG). Heidt is currently tied for the lead with Mark Morrison at 235 assists.
• Koehn Ziemmer enters tonight two goals shy of becoming the PG Cougars goal-leader. He currently owns 119 career goals, just one shy of alumnus Chase Witala who has 120 career tallies.
In Net…
• Assuming the Cougars’ recent rotation in net continues, Josh Ravensbergen (24-9-3-1 – 3.07 GAA – .899 SV%) would be in line to return to the crease after Cooper Michaluk (5-6-1-1 – 3.61 GAA – .881 SV%) played on Tuesday.
• Should the team elect to go with Ravensbergen, the top ranked draft eligible North American goaltender would be seeking his fourth consecutive win.
On the Other Side…
• The Rockets enter tonight’s game against the Cougar with nine straight losses. Their last victory came on January 10 against the Cougars at Prospera Place.
• Trudging forward without star forwards Tij Iginla and Max Graham, who both were required to have season-ending surgery, Kelowna has relied on St. Louis Blues prospect Jakub Stancl (45pts), and Michael Cicek (36pts).
• Special teams play has hampered the Rockets this year as the club owns the 19th ranked PP (19.4%) and 22nd-ranked PK (66.3%).
Injury/Roster Updates…
• Forward Ben Riche suffered an upper body injury on Jan. 28. He remains day-to-day.
• Defenceman Corbin Vaughan serves his 4th game of his 10 game suspension that was assessed to him on Jan. 28.
What’s Next After This Game?
• The Cougars conclude the weekend on Saturday Feb. 8 when they visit the Kamloops Blazers at 6:00 pm at the Sandman Center.
• Next Home Game: Friday, Feb. 14 vs Everett | 7:00 p.m. | Tickets
