The Vancouver Giants are in a roll to start the new year and despite getting behind early they weren't about to let the Prince George Cougars break up that ride.
The Giants, winners of eight of their last 10 heading into Friday's game in Vancouver, scored four unanswered goals to erase three-goal deficit and handed the Cougars a 5-4 loss.
Giants defenceman Mason Geertsen gave the Giants their only lead of the night with his second goal of the game with 3:19 left in their third period and it stood up as the gamewinner.
Tyler Benson tied it early in the third with a power-play goal. The Cougars played most of the first two minutes of the period trying to kill off a 5-on-3 advantage and Benson scored 16 seconds before the Cats could return to full strength.
The Cougars took a 4-1 lead with a pair of goals 34 seconds apart early in the second period. Seventeen-year-old rookie defenceman Shane Collins cashed in a 2-on-1 break with Jansen Harkins for his first career Western Hockey League goal at 2:19 of the second. That spelled the end of the night for Giants' starting goalie Payton Lee, replaced by Cody Porter. Chase Witala promptly welcomed Porter to the game with his second of the night and 20th goal this season on a Cougars' power play.
But the Giants made it close before the second intermission. Geertsen blasted a shot from the point in past Ty Edmonds on a Vancouver power play and with seven seconds left in the period. Dalton Sward scored from the side of the net.
Jackson Houck also scored for the Giants. Tyler Mrkonjic potted his fifth of the season for the Cats in the first period.
Shots ended up 35-22 in the Giants' favour.
The Giants finished 2-for-8 on the power play, while the Cats went 2-for-6.
The fourth-place Giants (18-19-1-0) moved to within one point of the Cougars (19-20-0-0), who rank third in the B.C. Division. The Cougars are now 2-2 on their five-game roadtrip. The Cougars dropped three points behind the second-place Victoria Royals, who defeated Spokane 8-1 Friday in Victoria.
The Cougars end their five-game roadtrip tonight in Kelowna.
