PREVIEW: Cougars at Blazers – Game #40
Tonight in Kamloops the Prince George Cougars and Kamloops Blazers renew hostilities for the first time in 2016. Tonight’s clash marks the sixth meeting of the season between the two rivals and as per usual a lot is on the line once again. Only seven points separates the Blazers from the Cougars in the B.C. Division standings and a win for Kamloops puts them back within striking distance of third with two games in hand. The Cougars on the other hand have dropped two straight, and are looking to avoid a season-long losing skid with a bounce back effort tonight after two straight losses at home to Vancouver. So far the Blazers have had the Cougars number earning four victories in five contests against them. But since a 9-1 loss in Kamloops back on November 15th the Cougars have gone 8-3 on the road and 13-6-0-1 overall. You can bet that the sting of that 9-1 game still lingers and the Cougars will want to avenge that score here tonight.
KAMLOOPS BLAZERS
Overview:
Don Hay’s Kamloops Blazers are coming into tonight’s game with an overall record of 18-14-4-1. Their 41 points put them fourth in the B.C. Division and seventh in the Western Conference standings. Their goal differential is +15 and they are 5-4-0-1 in their past 10 games combined. So far this season the Blazers are 4-1 against Prince George and are 3-0 against the Cougars at home having outscored them 20-4 in those three games. The last meeting between the two teams though went the way of the Cougars by a 7-3 score.
Who’s Up Front:
In just 37 games this season Blazers forward Collin Shirley has already set new career highs for himself for points (45) in a season. His 24 goals is tops on the team and against the Cougars so far this season, Shirley has struck four times while adding five assists for nine points. Shirley has scored in back-to-back games coming into tonight and just finished December with six goals and seven assists for 13 points. Keeping Shirley in check offensively will be a major defensive key this evening for the Cougars.
Who’s on D:
Defensively the Blazers are a little bit banged up with both Dawson Davidson and Dallas Valentine out with week-to-week injuries and Patrick Maier still away because of the World Juniors. That means that like always the Blazers will be relying heavily on 20-year-old Ryan Rehill to log a bulk of the ‘big’ minutes for his team. Rehill leads all Blazers in goals with five, and has added 15 assists and 62 penalty minutes to his credit. The big thing with Rehill: He’s tough to play against and he’ll make you pay the price if you try and get into the blue paint of the Kamloops net. Given the key absenses on the blueline the Blazers will need a big night from Rehill at both ends of the ice to give themselves the best chance to win.
Who’s in Goal:
The Kamloops Blazers have played 37 games this season, and 18-year-old Connor Ingram has played in 32 of them. That’s impressive. The 18-year-old from Imperial, SK has been a true workhorse for the Blazers and his numbers can back it up. He is 16-9-4-1 this season with a 2.86 goals-against-average and a .908 save percentage and one shutout. In December he went 6-3-1-0 en route to being named WHL Goaltender of the Month. In December his goals-against-average was 2.09 with a save percentage of .937. In five games against the Cougars this season, Ingram is 4-1 with a .936 save percentage and a 2.38 goals-against-average. His lifetime record against Prince George is 7-3 with a .929 save percentage and a 2.53 goals-against-average.
X-Factor:
Over the past five seasons the Kamloops Blazers have protected their home ice extremely well against the Cougars. Over the past five years the Blazers have gone 16-3-1-1 against the Cougars in 21 games. Now on the other hand the Cougars are 12-6-1-1 against Kamloops at home during that span so it’s not like there’s a huge discrepancy. But the Blazers at home have been a very difficult puzzle for the Cougars to solve. This season as a whole the Blazers are 10-7-3-1 at home so they often find ways to secure points if not complete victories. Hopefully a new calendar year can provide a new lease on life for the Cougars when it comes to facing the Blazers at the Sandman Centre.
PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS
Overview:
Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars come into tonight’s game with an overall record of 23-14-1-1. Their 48 points put the Cougars two points back of second place in the Western Conference and B.C. Division standings. They are 5-5 in their past 10 games and have won two straight games on the road. The Cougars have earned points in each of their past two meetings with Kamloops, both of which took place at CN Centre towards the end of November. The Cougars are looking for their first win in Kamloops since December 2014.
Who’s Up Front:
With four goals and seven points in five games against the Blazers, Cougars forward Jared Bethune leads all Cougars in scoring against Kamloops. The second year forward from Fort Frances, ON has already set new career highs for goals (12) and points (23) and after a team low -23 a season ago is a +8 this season. Bethune and his linemates Jansen Harkins and Brad Morrison have found some great chemistry alongside one another and the trio of 18-year-olds have provided a great compliment to the likes of Chase Witala, Jesse Gabrielle and Brogan O’Brien. A big night from the Cougars top six would be a huge confidence boost for the Cougars tonight as they look to defeat Kamloops for a second straight game.
Who’s on D:
You can never question the effort of Prince George Cougars captain Sam Ruopp. He does it all. He logs the most minutes against the opposing team’s top players each and every night and has a plus-minus rating of +!5 which is outstanding considering how much he’s playing and who he’s playing against. His offensive numbers are strong too as he’s got three goals and 11 assists. Tonight, look for Ruopp to lead the charge as he looks to lead his team back into the win column. He plays the game with so much pride and physicality that it’s impossible for his teammates not to follow suite. A big game from Ruopp could very well mean two valuable points for the Cougars tonight on the road.
Who’s in Goal:
Tonight it will be Ty Edmonds’ turn to lead the Cougars to victory. The 19-year-old from Winnipeg is 11-7-1-0 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.36 goals-against-average. His .925 save percentage is still tops in the WHL and his goals-against-average is second to only Everett’s Carter Hart. When Edmonds is on his game there are few goaltenders (if any) that can rival his intensity and his ability to make timely saves. It hasn’t necessarily been the easiest stretch as of late for Edmonds but he has a knack for rising to the occasion when his team needs him the most. Tonight in Kamloops the Cougars will need a solid goaltending effort from their veteran who’s looking for his first win since December 15th in Seattle.
X-Factor:
Tonight on the road the Prince George Cougars don’t need to do anything fancy. The biggest thing for them is to just play to their strengths. Lately on the road (December 27th aside) the Cougars have been a steady and resilient bunch who have been disciplined, scored timely goals and received timely saves during this recent stretch of hot play. Winning on the road means paying the price physically, capitalizing on scoring chances and staying disciplined. If the Cougars can do all three of those things tonight there is no reason why they won’t be heading home tonight with their 24th victory of the season.
