Game Preview | Cougars at Rockets | 01/30/26
KELOWNA, BC – The Prince George Cougars will look to collect six consecutive wins as they visit the Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets tonight.
When: Friday, January 30, 2026
Puck Drop: 7:05 pm
Cougars Record: 28-16-2-0 (58 Points)
Cougars Last Game: A 5-2 win over the Vancouver Giants on Saturday, January 24
Western Conference: 3rd
BC Division: 2nd
Prince George Cougars Roster Breakdown (Birth Year):
2005-born players (3) – Dumanski, Gizowski, Seitz
2006-born players (7) – Souch, Ashe, Parascak, Vaughan, Ravensbergen, Levshyn, Sobry
2007-born players (6) – Foster, Yakutsenak, Shurgot, Lajoie, Anisimov, Fisher
2008-born players (7) – Kozicky, Lemire, Finnegan, Cahill, Carels, Johnston, Funk
2009-born players (1) – Hajt
Rockets Record: 23-16-4-2 (47 Points)
Rockets Last Game: 5-3 win over the Red Deer Rebels on Tuesday, January 27
Western Conference: 6th
BC Division: 4th
Kelowna Rockets Roster Breakdown (Birth Year):
2005-born players (3) – Smith, Leslie, Halaburda
2006-born players (11) – McInnis, Pankratz, Guest, Corbet, Banini, Pekar, Gojsic, Wetsch, Gerwing, Alcos, Iginla
2007-born players (7) – Paupanekis, Cihar, Poletin, Kam, Kehrig, Kettles, Boettiger
2008-born players (3) – Henderson, Folstrom, Barrett
2009-born players (1) – Hayden
Last Time Out:
• The Cougars earned their fifth straight win with a 5-2 victory over Vancouver on Saturday, Jan. 24
• Dawson Seitz scored his first two goals as a Prince George Cougar
• Carson Carels extended his points streak to 10
• Prince George registered 40-plus shots for the fifth straight game
Previous Meetings vs. KEL This Season:
October 8: The Rockets used a late third period come-back to steal a 5-4 win over the Cougars at the CN Centre.
December 2: Dmitri Yakutsenak’s multi-point effort helped the Cougars to a 4-2 win shootout win. Josh Ravensbergen made 30 saves in the victory.
January 17: The Cougars used a 49 shot performance to help them to a 3-2 OT win. Carson Carels delivered the overtime heroics.
The Carson Show
• Since returning from the 2026 World Juniors, draft-eligible defenceman Carson Carels has collected at least a point in the nine games he has been back.
• Carels has points in ten straight games.
• Carels is ranked as the #3 skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Mid-Season Rankings; that makes him the top NHL draft prospect in the CHL.
The Chase for 100:
• Captain Bauer Dumanski enters tonight just one point shy of 100 career points in the WHL
• Dumanski would be the 53rd Cougar in franchise history to reach the 100 career-point plateau since the team moved to Prince George in 1994-95
• This season, the Captain owns 25 points in 39 games
• Seven of those 25 points have been goals, which ties a career season high for the Lockwood, SK product
Perry History Watch
• Washington Capitals first-round selection Terik Parascak enters tonight with 238 career points
• He is two points shy of surpassing alumnus Chase Witala, who compiled 239 points in 302 games
• Parascak has recorded those 238 points in just 171 games. He also sits four points behind Jansen Harkins (242) for third and 22 points behind Koehn Ziemmer (260)
• Entering tonight, Parascak has points in four straight games, including a goal against Kelowna on January 17
In Net:
• Throughout the Cougars’ five-game winning streak, Josh Ravensbergen has earned three wins and Alex Levshyn has earned two. Levshyn secured the most recent victory last Saturday against Vancouver; therefore, it would seem the Cats go back to the San Jose Sharks’ 2025 first-round pick. Ravensbergen has won his last three starts.
On the Other Side:
• The Rockets enter tonight with a 6-3-0-1 record in their last ten games
• Kelowna is 8-7-3-2 on home ice this season
• Up front, Shane Smith paces the Rockets — with 53 points
• The Rockets made several moves ahead of the trade deadline, highlighted by the addition of 2026 World Junior MVP Vojtech Cihar
• Cihar scored his first goal as a Rocket on Tuesday in their win over Red Deer at home
• Utah Mammoth prospect Tij Iginla enters tonight with points in eight straight games
After Tonight:
• The Cats are right back at it tomorrow night when they visit the Kamloops Blazers at 6:00 pm at the Sandman Centre
Next Game: Saturday, January 31 at Kamloops – 6:00 pm | Victory + | 94.3 The Goat
Next Home Game: Friday, February 3 vs. Red Deer – 7:00 pm | TICKETS
