Kiss that losing streak goodbye, the Prince George Cougars have buried their dirty dozen.
In his first game action after missing four games with a concussion, 20-year-old veteran Jari Erricson picked up the rope and dragged his team out of the ditch, scoring two goals, including the winner, in a 4-2 triumph Friday over the Edmonton Oil Kings, ending the Cougars' suffering after 12 straight losses. Playing on a line with rookie Kody McDonald and Tyler Mrkonjic, Erricson played one of his best games in months, when he was the team's leading goal scorer. He blocked shots, killed penalties and utilized his speed to get in position to collect his 16th and 17th goals of the season, both in the second period.
McDonald flicked a hard wrist shot that ricocheted off goalie Tristan Jarry and retrieved the puck in behind the net and fed it out to Erricson in front. Then with 10:40 gone in the period, Erricson got his stick on Kirk Bear's point shot and tipped it past Jarry.
That spelled the end of the night for the 18-year-old netminder, replaced by Patrick Dea after giving up four goals on 16 shots. The Cougars had a long stretch of power-play time to try to add to their lead late in the second period when Mads Eller got sent off for a four-minute penalty when his shoulder check on Josh Connolly knocked the Cougar defenceman off-balance and he hit his face into the boards, leaving him with a cut that required stitches. He did not return.
Held without a great scoring chance on the man advantage situation, Erricson came within a whisker of his third of the game when McDonald set up in front, but Dea shot across the crease to deny Erricson's labeled drive.
Ty Edmonds, in his 100th career WHL game, was superb in between the Cougar pipes, challenging shooters and covering his angles while blocking 32 shots to earn his 19th win of the season.
After Davis Koch made it a two-goal game on an Edmonton power play early in the third period the Oil Kings kept the pressure on Edmonds and dominated the period, outshooting the Cats 19-5. With 3:15 left, Edmonds somehow got his stick down on the ice to deny Eller a sure-goal, his most spectacular save of the game.
The win brought the Cougars (21-31-1-1, fifth in the B.C. Division) back to within two points of the third-place Kamloops Blazers who lost to the visiting Kelowna Rockets 5-3 Friday. The Oil Kings, the defending Memorial Cup champions, (24-24-4-2) remained fifth in the Central Division.
The Cougars showed plenty of jump from the opening puck drop and were rewarded with a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes, getting goals from two unlikely sources. Aaron Macklin sniped his fourth of the season with a shot through Jarry's legs. Macklin forced a turnover just outside the Edmonton blueline and toe-dragged the puck as he moved into shooting position in the slot.
Oil Kings defenceman Dysin Mayo answered a couple minutes later with a high backhander that beat Edmonds from the side of the net, the 11th of the season for the fifth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2014. McDonald restored the lead 14 minutes into the game, taking advantage of some strong forechecking just inside the Edmonton zone from David Soltes and Erricson to get free with the puck in front of Jarry.
LOOSE PUCKS: Tonight's rematch against the Oil Kings is Minor Sports Night, one of five feature games for the Cougars this season. Game time is 7 p.m.... Defenceman Bear and forward Jansen Harkins were the Cougars' picks for the hardest-working player awards for the Month of January. Bear, a 19-year-old from Whitewood, Sask., has been one of the most improved Cougars since joining the team in late November from Melville of the SJHL. He picked up his first career WHL point Jan. 24 in Lethbridge. Harkins, 17, had his most productive month in 1 1/2 seasons in the WHL, collecting four goals and 19 points in 14 games... Macklin left the game shortly after he scored his goal with an undetermined injury and did not return... The centre ice region at CN Centre was painted with the red and gold Canada Winter Games logo. The Games begin Friday with the opening ceremonies at CN Centre.
