WHL Morning Skate: May 3
NEED TO KNOW
– The Cougars staved off elimination with six unanswered goals in Game 5 to send the Western Conference Championship back to Prince George
– Cats Captain Hudson Thornton has set a Prince George record for most career playoff points by a defenceman
– The Blades and Warriors will fight to take a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference Championship in Game 5 on Friday
RESULTS
Prince George 6, Portland 1
POR leads 3-2
It looked like the Winterhawks were ready to fly into the WHL Championship Series after opening the scoring in Game 5, but Prince George surged back with six straight goals to force Game 6. Los Angeles Kings prospect Koehn Ziemmer turned the tide with a pair of first-period goals, while 2024 NHL Draft-eligible forward Ondrej Becher tallied a goal and two assists for his second three-point night of the postseason. Borya Valis came through with a third-period penalty shot goal and added an assist in the confidence-building win for the Cats.
THREE STARS
1- Koehn Ziemmer, PG
-2G, 1A, +4
2- Gabe Klassen, POR
-1G
3- Marek Alscher, POR
-1A
TOP PERFORMER
Los Angeles Kings prospect Koehn Ziemmer is coming alive when it matters most for the Cougars.
The 19-year-old scored back-to-back first-period goals and added an assist as Prince George avoided elimination in Game 5.
With the Winterhawks leading 1-0 midway through the first period, Ziemmer zipped to the hash marks and fired the puck high short side on Jan Spunar to level the match.
He struck again late in the frame, pulling the puck around a defender and finding twine with another sharp wrister from the slot.
This goal would stand as the game-winner as Prince George scored another four unanswered goals.
Ziemmer would find the scoresheet again after kicking off a passing sequence with linemates Ondrej Becher and Keaton Dowhaniuk.
Step 1: Get puck
Step 2: Go shelf
Step 3: Stick twirl@PGCougars | @LAKings | #GoKingsGo | #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/NFKHd4zqCV— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 3, 2024
The win marks the first three-point postseason game of Ziemmer’s WHL career.
The Mayerthorpe, Alta. product has four goals and six assists for 10 points in 14 games through the 2024 WHL Playoffs.
ON TAP
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