PREVIEW: Cougars vs. Winterhawks – Game #26
Tonight at the CN Centre, the Prince George Cougars wrap up their four game homestand with their second and final home matchup of the season against the Portland Winterhawks. Last night the Cougars continued their winning ways with a 3-2 decision over Portland. The Cougars bent a little bit in the later stages of the game, but their three unanswered goals proved to be enough and the Cougars grabbed their 14th victory of the season. A victory tonight would give the Cougars their fourth double-header sweep of the season and would put them in a terrific frame of mind before they hit the road for five of their next six games.
PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS
Overview:
Jamie Kompon’s Portland Winterhawks come into tonight’s game with an even 12-12 record. Their 24 points still place them fourth in the US Division and eighth in the Western Conference standings. They have dropped two straight games, but are still 5-5 in their past 10 overall. Last night’s loss was the first for Portland in Prince George since December 2011. Don’t expect them to lay down tonight as you can bet they will want to head to Kamloops for their next game with something from their time in Prince George.
Who’s Up Front:
With his ninth goal of the season last night, Portland forward Paul Bittner kick-started the Winterhawks comeback attempt with 6:30 left in the third period. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect is coming off a season where he tallied 34 goals and 71 points and it looks like he’ll be very close to that 30 goal total again this season when all is said and done. He’s the type of player that can change the face of a game thanks to his size and his skill and look for him to once again be one of the major offensive catalysts for the Winterhawks tonight.
Who’s on D:
It came as no surprise that the American tandem of Caleb Jones and Jack Dougherty logged a TON of minutes on the back-end for Portland last night against the Cougars. Dougherty chipped in with an assist on Paul Bittner’s power play goal and played a strong two-way game, and while Jones was held off the score sheet he certainly made his presence felt with his strong skating and his offensive instincts. Combine the fact that fellow defenceman Keoni Texeira scored the second goal for Portland, and it was definitely a game where the Winterhawks defenders made their presence felt offensively. They’ll need that type of play and production to continue tonight in the rematch.
Who’s in Goal:
Despite some early struggles, Portland’s Adin Hill rebounded well and in the end did enough to keep his team within striking distance of the Cougars. The Arizona Coyotes prospect made 35 saves on 38 shots faced and certainly could not be faulted for Portland’s loss last night. Given Portland’s travel schedule they could opt to go with backup Michael Bullion tonight, but also don’t be the least bit shocked if Hill gets the nod once again between the pipes for Portland. Bullion, for what it’s worth hasn’t started a game since November 11th against the Tri-City Americans and it was a game he won by making 29 saves on 31 shots faced.
X-Factor:
The Winterhawks need a better start in tonight’s game. That should be obvious after last night they surrendered two goals against in the first 5:08 of the game. To their credit the Winterhawks managed to shut the door (for the most part) from then on out, and held the Cougars to just one more goal against and that took place around the mid-way point of the third period. The Cougars have shown all season long that they are a much better team and a much more comfortable team when they play with the lead. Psychologically it will be big for Portland to try and snag that first goal and force the Cougars out of their comfort zone a little more regularly tonight.
PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS
Overview:
Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars are coming into tonight’s game a riding a five game regulation unbeaten streak and an eight game regulation unbeaten streak on home ice. With a record of 14-9-1-1 the Prince George Cougars are now six points ahead of their pace from a season ago, and are off to their best start in five seasons. Last night’s game wasn’t pretty by any stretch, but the Cougars did enough to win and that’s what counts at the end of the day. With a victory tonight the Cougars could earn their third home double-header sweep of the season and their fourth sweep overall, something that has proven to be a difficult feat for the Cougars in recent seasons.
Who’s Up Front:
After going six games without a goal, Cougars leading scorer Jesse Gabrielle found his way back onto the scoresheet Tuesday with a goal and an assist. For Gabrielle it was his seventh multi-point game of the season, and he was named first star for his efforts. The great thing about the Cougars through the month of November and their recent stretch of success is that offensive help is coming from all areas. Colby McAuley has a five game point streak, Aaron Boyd has goals in two straight games, Jansen Harkins has 10 points in his past nine games and Jared Bethune has 11 points in his past nine. So all throughout the lineup the Cougars are getting contributions and that in itself has been a major reason for the team’s recent surge.
Who’s on D:
Defensively the Cougars were once again composed and strong and it paid dividends in the end as the Cougars managed the 3-2 victory over the Winterhawks. Tate Olson grabbed an assist to extend his point streak to five games, and Josh Anderson’s first goal of the season proved to be the game winner. The Cougars also got a solid contribution from veterans Sam Ruopp and Joe Carvalho who played steady, dependable two-way hockey for the Cougars yet again. For the Cougars defensively it’s just all about protecting the front of their net and not allowing the skill of Rihards Bukarts, Dominic Turgeon and Paul Bittner to take over the game. Any offensive help from the Cougars back-end would be a big bonus once again tonight.
Who’s in Goal:
A day removed from his 55th career victory and seventh of the season, Cougars veteran Ty Edmonds will get the night off tonight in favor of his 18-year-old year old counterpart Nick McBride. The Cougars goaltending continues to be a major source of strength for this team, and McBride is by no means whatsoever a downgrade considering that he’s 4-2-0-1 with a 2.53 goals-against-average and a .914 save percentage. McBride was on the wrong end of last Friday’s shootout loss against the Blazers so you know that he’ll be jacked up and ready to prove himself as he gets his first look against the Portland Winterhawks this season.
X-Factor:
The big key once again for the Cougars tonight will be to stay the course. Both teams are going to make adjustments, and just like last weekend against Kamloops – Just because Game 1 went a certain way doesn’t mean that players, fans, coaches etc. should expect the same type of thing tonight. The Cougars will need to be ready from the drop of the puck which hasn’t been an issue for them as of late, and if they can once again score first and set the tone of the game offensively the rest should hopefully fall into place for them. The Cougars would love to head into their final stretch of road games before the break on a winning note and they can do so with a similar effort tonight.
