SERIES PREVIEW: Prince George (1) vs. Kelowna (5)

By Cami Kepke April 10, 2024

The 2024 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien continue with Second-Round matchups beginning on Friday, April 12. WHL.ca is previewing each series ahead of puck drop, continuing with a look at the high-scoring Prince George Cougars and Kelowna Rockets.

Sparks are sure to fly as two of the most dynamic teams in the WHL’s Western Conference are set to clash in Round Two of the 2024 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien.

The Prince George Cougars and Kelowna Rockets will face each other in the postseason for the first time since the Rockets swept the Cougars in the 2011 playoffs

Prince George defeated Kelowna 4-1 in their only other playoff meeting in 2000.

The Western Conference-leading Cougars have been off since April 3, when they completed a sweep of the Spokane Chiefs, while it took Kelowna six games to down the higher-seeded Wenatchee Wild.

The Cougars and Rockets were the two top-scoring B.C. Division teams in the 2023-24 regular season with dynamic talents like recent Washington Capitals signing Zac Funk and Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt taking on another Caps prospect in Andrew Cristall and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Gabriel Szturc.

It’s also a tilt between two of the top draft-eligible players expected to be selected by NHL teams this June, with Tij Iginla ranked 11th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting and Terik Parascak slotted in at 14th.

Prince George owned a 6-1-0-1 record against Kelowna in the regular season, though six of the games were decided by a single goal and three required overtime or a shootout.

The series gets underway on Friday, April 12 at the CN Centre Centre.

STAT PACK

	Prince George Cougars	Kelowna Rockets
Record	49-15-1-3 (1st B.C.)	33-30-4-1 (2nd B.C.)
Playoff Leaders	Zac Funk (3G, 5A, 8PTS) Ondrej Becher (2G, 5A, 7PTS) Riley Heidt (0G, 7A, 7PTS)	Tij Iginla (8G, 3A, 11PTS) Andrew Cristall (3G, 8A, 11PTS) Caden Price (1G, 8A, 9PTS)
Season Leaders	Zac Funk (67G, 56A, 123PTS) Riley Heidt (37G, 80A, 117PTS) Terik Parascak (43G, 62A, 105PTS)	Andrew Cristall (40G, 71A, 111PTS) Tij Iginla (47G, 37A, 84PTS) Gabriel Szturc (33G, 50A, 83PTS)
Leading Goaltender (Playoffs)	Joshua Ravensbergen (3-0-0-0, 2.33, .918)	Jari Kykkanen (4-1-1-0, 2.86, .911)
Power Play (Playoffs)	31.8% (3rd)	25% (8th)
Penalty Kill (Playoffs)	93.8% (2nd)	72% (11th)
First Round	Def. Spokane (4-0)	Def. Wenatchee (4-2)
Last WHL Championship	1981*	2015

*As the Victoria Cougars

2023-24 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

October 3, 2023- Kelowna 2, Prince George 3
October 4, 2023- Kelowna 1, Prince George 8
October 13, 2023- Prince George 4, Kelowna 5
November 18, 2023- Prince George 5– Kelowna 4
January 12, 2024- Kelowna 2, Prince George 5
January 13, 2024- Kelowna 3– Prince George 2 (SO)
February 24, 2024- Prince George 6– Kelowna5 (SO)
March 13, 2024- Prince George 6, Kelowna 5 (OT)

GAME BREAKERS

Prince George Cougars: Washington Capitals prospect Zac Funk led the league in goals and sat second in points during the regular season and continued to roll into playoffs. Funk is tied for second in the WHL in points-per-game in the postseason with three goals and five assists in four outings after Prince George’s sweep of Spokane. Funk found the scoresheet in every match in Round One, highlighted by a two-goal, two-assist effort in Game 3. The veteran from Coldstream, B.C. also netted the series-winning goal on the powerplay. Funk had eight goals and four assists for 12 points in four games against the Rockets in the regular season, including a hat trick on February 24.

Kelowna Rockets: Tij Iginla rolls into Round Two after making history for the Rockets by tying the franchise record for most goals in a playoff series with eight against the Wenatchee Wild. The top 2024 NHL Draft prospect is tied with his teammate Andrew Cristall for second in points in the playoffs with 11 and scored a hat trick in Game 1 against the Wild. The youngster has come in clutch with a postseason game-tying goal to force overtime, a game-winner, and an assist on Cristall’s series-clinching tally in Game 6. Iginla also excelled against the Cougars in the regular season with a team-leading five goals and an additional four assists in six matches against the B.C. Division rivals.

GOALTENDING

Prince George Cougars: Standout rookie Joshua Ravensbergen went perfect in Round One with a 3-0-0-0 record, improving on his regular-season totals with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. However, his fellow Cougars netminder Ty Young, who played the series-clinching Game 4 against the Chiefs, got the bulk of the starts against the Rockets in the regular season. Ravensbergen went 2-0-0-1 against the Rockets and was pulled on March 13, though the Cats would eke out an overtime win. Young went 4-1-0-0 against Kelowna with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage.

Kelowna Rockets: Veteran Jari Kykkanen made fantastic save after save to help the Rockets ward off Wenatchee in their quarterfinal matchup, making the second-most saves of any WHL goaltender in the 2024 playoffs with 175. The Lloydminster Alta. product has a 2.86 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage through six playoff games. Kykkanen went 2-1-1-1 against the Cougars and was pulled once during the regular season, averaging 4.13 goals against and a .886 save percentage. He was named third star of the night on October 13 after stopping 35 Cougars shots in a 5-4 win and first star in a 3-2 shootout victory that saw him stop 34 attempts.

X-FACTOR

Prince George Cougars: Rookie of the Year nominee Terik Parascak currently leads all rookies in playoff scoring with four goals and two assists in four games. The top 2024 NHL Draft prospect scored a hat trick in his postseason debut (including the game-winning goal) and followed it up with an empty net goal in game two and a pair of assists to complete the series win in Game 4. The Lethbridge, Alta. product also filled the net against Kelowna in the regular season with six goals and six assists for 12 points in eight games.

Kelowna Rockets: Seattle Kraken prospect Kaden Price is one of the most generous guys in the WHL right now. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound defenceman is tied with his teammate Andrew Cristall with eight assists, and his nine goals lead all blueliners in the postseason. Seven of his points have come at even strength, although Price has combined with Cristall and Iginla for some dynamic powerplay goals. The mobile defender averaged a point-per-game against Prince George in the regular season with two goals and four assists.

SERIES SCHEDULE

Game	Date	Visitor	Home	Time
1	Friday, April 12	Kelowna	Prince George	7:00 p.m. PST
2	Saturday, April 13	Kelowna	Prince George	6:00 p.m. PST
3	Tuesday, April 16	Prince George	Kelowna	7:05 p.m. PST
4	Wednesday, April 17	Prince George	Kelowna	7:05 p.m. PST
5*	Friday, April 19	Kelowna	Prince George	7:00 p.m. PST
6*	Sunday, April 21	Prince George	Kelowna	2:05 p.m. PST
7*	Tuesday, April 23	Kelowna	Prince George	7:00 p.m. PST

*-If necessary

WHL Live streaming packages are available for the 2024 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien. Catch all the action by watching WHL Live on CHL TV, with various subscription options available:

2024 CHL Playoffs All Access – $89.99
2024 WHL Playoffs All Access – $59.99
2024 WHL Playoffs, Second Round – $19.99
2024 WHL Playoffs, Daily – $9.99

* = all prices before tax and listed in CAD

WHL Live on CHL TV is available on iOS and Android mobile devices, traditional web browsers (Safari and Chrome), as well as smart TV devices such as Apple TV, Android OS, and Fire TV.

SERIES PREVIEW: Prince George (1) vs. Kelowna (5)

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