Bridges named player of the week
Calgary, Alberta — The Greyhound Western Hockey League Player of the week is goaltender Byran Bridges of the Seattle Thunderbirds. Bridges earned player of the week honours by recording a 1.50 goals against average, a .949 save percentage and two road wins in games one and two of the Kal Tire Western Conference Semi-Final series against the defending Memorial Cup Champion Kelowna Rockets.r
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The T-Birds currently lead the best of seven series two games to none.r
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On Friday, Bridges stopped 37 of the 38 shots he faced in a 2-1 victory in Kelowna. The folloiwng night, he recorded 22 saves in a 3-2 victory.r
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A 19-year old from Victoria, B.C., and former member of the Memorial Cup Champion Kootenay Ice, is a free agent.r
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Bridges and the T-Birds will host game three of the series Tuesday night in Seattle.r
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Meanwhile the other Western Conference semi-final between Everett and Kootenay goes tonight in Washington. The Ice lead the series two games to nothing.r
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Both Eastern Conference series – Medicine Hat at Prince ALbert and Brandon at Calgary – resume on Tuesday night. While the defending WHL Champion Tigers lead their series two games to nothing, the other series between the Wheat Kings and Hitmen is deadlocked at one win a piece. Brandon evened its series with the Hitmen on Saturday night with a 5-1 victory at the Keystone Centre.r
Patrick King of Sportsnet.ca has profiled the Cougars Kevin Armstrong. King takes a look at the Cougars fast start and just how valuable Armstrong has been in the Cougars turnaround. You can read the story here: http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/2008/10/10/king_armstrong/
The Cougars head to the Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops tonight to take on the Blazers. Kamloops is 3-4-0-1 to start the season and currently sit 5 points back of the Cougars in the BC Division standings. This is the first of 8 meetings between the two clubs this season.
Jimmy Bubnick is showing no signs of a sophomore slump for the Blazers. The 17-year old product of Saskatoon has 7 goals and 10 points in his first 8 games. Veteran puck stopper Justin Leclerc always seems to rise to the occasion and will no doubt do his best to stifle the Cougars attack should he be called upon in goal for Kamloops tonight.
Saturday will see the Cougars make the trek to Kelowna for the first time this season. Kelowna is still missing 1’st round draft pick Luke Schenn. Schenn has started the season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kelowna also learned this week that overage defenceman Tysen Dowzak won’t return to the club this season. Dowzak has signed with the New York Rangers and will spend the season with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL.
Despite the missing players, the Rockets aren’t a team that Prince George can look past. Kelowna boasts a lethal offence led by Colin Long who missed out on the WHL scoring championship by one point last season. Jamie Benn, a signed draft choice of the Dallas Stars compliments Long very well on the Rockets top unit. The duo has already combined for 16 points in limited action since returning from NHL training camps.
Follow the Cougars all weekend long on www.pgcougars.com