Game Preview | Cougars at Royals | 02/21/25
VICTORIA, BC – The Prince George Cougars aim to get back in the win column as they battle the division leading Victoria Royals in the provincial capital.
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When: Friday, Feb. 21
Puck Drop: 7:05 pm
Listen: 94.3 The Goat
Watch: WHL Live
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Cougars Record: 31-17-4-2 (68 Points / 4th Western Conference / 2nd BC Division)
Cougars Last Game: A 7-2 loss to Vancouver on Mon Feb. 17
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Royals Record: 32-15-3-6 (73 Points / 2nd Western Conference / 1st BC Division)
Royals Last Game: A 3-2 loss to the Everett Silvertips on Mon Feb. 17
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Previous Meetings vs. VIC This Season…
December 28 – Josh Ravensbergen made 37 saves in a 2-1 victory in Victoria and was named the game’s first star
December 27 – It was another great from Josh Ravensbergen, making 28 saves to help the Cats to a 2-1 shootout victory
October 26 – The Cats put together a dramatic comeback in the final minutes to force OT, however, dropped a 5-4 decision in a shootout to the Royals at CN Centre.
October 25 – Riley Heidt owned a 5-point night in a 6-3 win over Victoria at the CN Centre.
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Big Weekend…
These two games for the Cougars against the Royals on their schedule may just be the biggest games of the season. The Cats sit five points behind Victoria for top spot in the BC Division, while the Cougars have two games in hand and take on the Royal four more times this season, including tonight. The two teams meet in Prince George in the final week of the regular season.
Is Tonight the Night?
Entering tonight’s game, Koehn Ziemmer is one goal shy of becoming the Prince George Cougars all-time goal scoring leader. He is tied with alumnus Chase Witala with 120 tallies. Ziemmer’s last goal came on Saturday, Feb. 15 in a 5-1 win over the Everett Silvertips.
In Goal…
After Cooper Michaluk played Monday afternoon in Vancouver, all signs point toward Josh Ravensbergen getting the nod tonight. Ravensbergen has had busy, but tremendous sophomore campaign, owning a 27-10-3-1 record, along with a 2.94 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.
On the Other Side..
After a trade deadline that saw the Victoria Royals add Kenta Isogai and Brandon Lisowsky, the Royals have been rolling. The Royals enter tonight with points in 8 of their last 10 games. Victoria also sports the second-best power-play in the WHL, connecting over 28% of the time. Draft eligible forward Cole Reschny leads all Royal skaters in points this season with 77 (22-55-77) in 51 games. In goal, the Royals have a nice tandem in both Jayden Kraus and newcomer Johnny Hicks. In 40 games this season, Kraus is 22-8-3-5 with a 2.72 goals against average and a .911 save percentage, For Hicks, he joined the team in January and has suited up in seven games and is 5-2-0-0 in those contests.
Injury/Roster Updates:
• Defenceman Corbin Vaughan serves his ninth game of his 10-game suspension he received on Jan. 28 against Swift Current.
What’s Next After This Game?
• Next Game: Saturday Feb. 22 at Victoria | 6:05 pm
