|
| |
|
|
|
Long road trip looms for Cougars after three-game homestand |
|
|
|
Written by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
|
|
Thursday, 02 October 2008 |
Related Items
COUGARSDALLAS JACKSONKEVIN ARMSTRONGPRINCE GEORGE COUGARSPARKER STANFIELDBRETT CONNOLLYBRIAN MATTECODY HOBBSCOLBY KULHANEKDREW SCHONECKJADON POTTERRYAN HOWSEPRINCE GEORGEJUSTIN MAYLANALEX POULTERCAMERON CEPEKGARRETT THIESSEN
The Cougars, off to a 3-1-0-0 start, have three home games on their schedule before they embark on an extended trip that will see them play exactly one-quarter of their road contests -- nine games, one fell swoop.
Before that, the Cats will get two cracks at the Chilliwack Bruins -- tonight and Saturday, 7 p.m. starts at CN Centre -- and then ex-teammate Garrett Thiessen and the Prince Albert Raiders arrive on Wednesday for their lone Prince George stop of the season.
“You want to face that gorilla on a high note, and we have three games at home against two teams we think we’re competitive with,” said Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck, whose team has had a full week to fine-tune areas of concern after beating the Bruins in overtime on Saturday in Chilliwack.
“Every game is important, and I’ve said before the points you lose early in the season determine where you finish. We lost a lot of points early on last season and never got them back -- that cost us a playoff spot in the end.”
The Bruins, a team littered with players who have Prince George ties, lost weekend games to the Cougars and Vancouver Giants, then rebounded in a big way on Tuesday by edging the defending Memorial Cup champion Spokane Chiefs in a shootout.
The fact that local products Ryan Howse and Brandon Manning, ex-Cougar Chris Vanduynhoven and Quesnel resident Liam Darragh are on this Bruins team will only deepen Chilliwack’s resolve. The Bruins will also want to show well here playing against former teammates Cody Hobbs and Colby Kulhanek, both of whom wore Chilliwack jerseys a year ago.
“A big thing for us so far has been our depth because we have guys who can be put on any one of the four lines,” said Schoneck. “It gives us some flexibility if a guy is having an off-night, or not doing what we want -- he can watch from a different vantagepoint.”
Examples of that are Justin Maylan, 17, and Alex Poulter, 19, who have both found themselves on either the first or the fourth line just four games into the season.
“They have both worked themselves into good situations, and played themselves into bad situations,” said Schoneck.
“They’ve handled it well. That’s part of coaching, making sure they’re giving us what we want. They both bring something different to the table but they have to play within the scope of the team’s game.”
In what’s a rarity in recent years, the Cougars have a fully-healthy roster of 25 players, which means Schoneck will have to designate five scratches. Past seasons have caused the team bus to be more of a hyperbaric chamber than a mode of transportation.
“Our guys get along so well and that’s sometimes a detriment to our practices because they don’t take it out on their teammates,” said Schoneck. “As of right now, five guys have to sit out every game, so that makes things competitive.”
Expect the Cougars to make at least two roster moves, getting down to a maximum of 23 players, by the time Prince Albert arrives.
Cougars for Cancer
Tonight’s game has been dubbed ‘Pink Power Play’ as the Cougars team up with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s Run for the Cure. The game is planned to celebrate cancer survivors and raise awareness about the run, which is Sunday. The players will wear pink laces and pink tape, and fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game.
PRINCE GEORGE -- Tonight is the opener of a double-dip with the Chilliwack Bruins, part of a three-game homestand that ends after Prince Albert plays here on Wednesday... The Cougars won their last outing, 3-2 in overtime over the Bruins in Chilliwack on Brian Matte’s second goal of the season... Captain Dana Tyrell and D Cameron Cepek both play their first home games of the season tonight. Both have one point through two games -- Tyrell is looking for his first goal, Cepek is seeking his first assist... D Dallas Jackson leads the club in goals (3) and points (6), trailed by Matte (2-3-5)... G Kevin Armstrong has started all four games this season... Three players are tied for the club’s best plus-minus at plus-3 -- rookie Brett Connolly, former Bruin Colby Kulhanek and sophomore forward Parker Stanfield... After the Wednesday game, the Cougars next play at home on Oct. 29, a Wednesday with the Brandon Wheat Kings in town... The game is a matchup of two highly-rated 16-year-olds, first-rounders Connolly and Kevin Sundher of the Bruins. Sundher has two assists in four games, while Connolly is out of the gate with two goals and four points.
CHILLIWACK -- The Bruins are coming off a 2-1 shootout win on home ice Tuesday against Spokane, that after losing 4-1 at home to Vancouver on Saturday. Chlliwack has lost two of its last three overall... G Lucas Gore, who was with Vernon of the BCHL last season, started Saturday’s overtime loss to the Cougars, and Tuesday’s outing with Spokane. Mark Friesen is the other netminder... P.G. product Ryan Howse, 17, scored in regulation and the shootout against Spokane. Howse (2-1-3) and Jadon Potter (1-2-3) lead the team in scoring, while another P.G. product, D Brandon Manning, has two goals as a 17-year-old rookie... The Bruins beat the Cougars four of five times they met at CN Centre last season, the lone Prince George win a 1-0 game that was Real Cyr’s best game in his overage season... No, the Bruins do not have Oscar Moller, arguably the most-entertaining player in junior hockey, back from NHL camp. Moller, a 19-year-old Swede who has already signed a contract, remains with the L.A. Kings... The brawn of the Bruins comes in part from Quesnel product Liam Darragh, a six-foot-four 18-year-old, and Partik (don’t call me Patrick) Bhungal, a 20-year-old former BCHL pugilist who leads the Bruins in penalty minutes with 11.
 |
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 02 October 2008 )
|
|
|
Who's Online
We have 61 guests and 1 member online
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
