After discovering the goose that lays golden eggs the previous two nights at CN Centre, the Prince George Cougars traveled the Western Hockey League road to Kamloops Sunday and laid a brick.
They got smoked 9-1 by the Kamloops Blazers, who reeled off their third one-sided victory over the Cats in less than three weeks.
The Cougars started the weekend with two convincing wins at home over the Edmonton Oil Kings (see story, page 7), then inexplicably came out Sunday with another dismal showing at the Sandman Centre.
The Blazers (9-8-1-0) scored three goals in each period to move to within two points of the Cougars (10-8-1-0) in the B.C. Division standings.
Gage Quinney led the Kamloops attack with three goals and an assist, opening the scoring with a shorthanded goal. Collin Shirley had a five-point night with two goals and three assists, Matt Revel scored twice, and Nick Chyzowski and Jermaine Loewen also scored for Kamloops.
Brogan O'Brien, with his eighth of the season, was the lone Cougar to beat Connor Ingram.
Revel's first goal just 42 seconds into the second period chased Cougar goalie Nick McBride to the bench after allowing four goals on 10 shots.
Tavin Grant came into the game for his first WHL since getting called up from Kamloops of the KIJHL, but it didn't take long for the Blazers to light him up.
Quinney notched his hat trick and the Blazers pounded four more pucks past the 17-year-old from Burnaby.
Shots were 36-33 in the Blazers' favour. Kamloops went 3-for-6 on the power play.
"In our pre-game meeting we told the players, play hard, simplify things and stay out of the penalty box because some players will play a lot and some don't and fatigue will kick in... but they weren't listening," said Cougars assistant coach Roman Vopat.
"We took dumb penalties. The third game in the third night is such a hard thing and when you're killing penalties all night eventually you'll run out of gas and that's what happened."
The Cougars' roadtrip continues Wednesday night in Calgary.
