The Price is Riche! Cougars Defeat Giants Courtesy of Late Game Heroics from Ben Riche
PRINCE GEORGE, BC – Newly acquired forward Ben Riche scored in the final minute to secure a thrilling 6-5 victory for the Prince George Cougars over the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday at the CN Centre.
In addition to Riche’s last-minute heroics, several Cougars delivered standout performances. Riley Heidt (1-2–3), Borya Valls (0-3–3), Viliam Kmec (2-0–2), and Terik Parascak (1-1–2) all posted multi-point nights.
The game opened with Vancouver striking first at 2:53 of the first period. The Cougars answered back with a brilliant goal by Viliam Kmec at 14:42, and the teams remained locked at 1-1 after 20 minutes of play.
The second period saw an explosion of action. The Giants regained the lead at 2:41 on a 4-on-3 power play, but the Cougars responded quickly. Koehn Ziemmer snapped a seven-game pointless streak with a slick feed to Riley Heidt, who buried the equalizer at 8:22. Minutes later, Corbin Vaughan unleashed a one-timer at 16:21, notching his first goal of the season—and his first as a Cougar—to give Prince George its first lead of the game. The Giants struck back less than a minute later, tying the game 3-3 heading into the third.
Early in the final frame, Viliam Kmec dazzled again, scoring his second of the night just 29 seconds in to restore the Cougars’ lead. Vancouver quickly answered at 1:20 to make it 4-4 and later reclaimed the lead at 6:40. Trailing 5-4 with time winding down, the Cougars mounted a dramatic comeback. Terik Parascak tied the game at 18:17 with a clutch goal during a 6-on-4 power play, setting the stage for Ben Riche’s unforgettable finish. Just one minute later, Riche stole the puck from a Vancouver defender and slipped it through the legs of goaltender Brady Smith to send the 3,000+ fans at CN Centre into a frenzy.
The Cougars held strong in the final moments to seal the 6-5 victory on home ice.
Stats and Standouts:
- Ben Riche extends his point-streak to 10 games and scored his first goal as a Cougar
- Riley Heidt compiled a pair of assists and is now 9 assists shy of becoming the Cougars (VIC & PG) all-time assists leader
- Josh Ravensbergen picked up his 20th win of the season, and is now tied for the league lead in wins
They Said It…
General Manager and Head Coach Mark Lamb on the win
Forward Ben Riche on the win, the trade, and his Cougars debut
What’s Next?
The Cougars hit the road for a pair of games, beginning Friday, January 10th against the Kelowna Rockets and finished Saturday, January 11th against the Kamloops Blazers.
Next Game: Friday, January 10th at Kelowna – 7:00 om
Next Home Game: Friday, January 24th vs. Brandon – 7:00 pm
