After getting skunked in his first game with the Prince George Cougars, Jesse Gabrielle provided the breath of fresh air the Cougars needed in their Sunday rematch with the Everett Silvertips.
His two power-play goals were the catalyst in a 5-1 victory over the Silvertips in front of CN Centre crowd of 2,290.
Gabrielle's strength around the net playing right wing on a line with Jansen Harkins and Brad Morrison made an obvious difference. The 18-year-old from Moosomin, Sask., plays with authority but also has a scorer's touch and showed that when he batted the puck out of the air for his first goal midway through the second period, which gave the Cougars a commanding 3-0 lead.
"That's a great first win for the guys," said Gabrielle, a fourth-round Boston Bruins draft pick in 2015, acquired over the summer in a trade from Regina.
"Just keeping it simple and going back to the basics was huge for us. The game on Friday I don't think represented us the way we want to, so coming out with a win like this is good for everyone."
Special teams were a factor. The Cougars went 2-for-3 on the power play, while holding Everett scoreless in three chances. Head coach Mark Holick said his team made a few tactical adjustments on breakouts which better utilized the speed and hustle of the forwards.
"I thought the game Friday we tried to possess the puck too much," said Holick. "It's OK to go into (offensive zone) entries with the puck but if they're going to seal some lanes you have to chip it behind and make their D turn and take away their time and space. I thought our guys did a great job."
Cats goalie Mack Shields set the tone with a strong opening, blocking all 11 shots he faced in the opening period. In his first game in a Cougars uniform, Shields provided a calming influence on his teammates and showed why GM Todd Harkins signed the 20-year-old Saskatoon native after three seasons with the Calgary Hitmen. The Silvertips' top line of Connor Dewar-Remi Laurencelle-Carson Stadnyk had the Cougars pinned down in the early going, winning key offensive zone face-offs which led to some quality chances Shields handled with poise. Shields remained sharp the entire game, using his six-foot-four, 204-pound body to take away shooting angles and his rebound control was exceptional.
"We fixed up a couple things after that loss in our home-opener and today we shut 'er down a lot more and lowered the chances against," said Shields. "I think the nerves got the best of us (Friday) that we corrected for today. That just speaks to the depth of this team. Our top line put the puck in the net but it was our third and fourth line that kickstarted it all off and I think that's something you're going to see a lot of this year."
Colby McAuley was the first to solve Silvertips goalie Carson Hart near the end of the first period, ending a shutout streak the 17-year-old Hart began Friday in Everett's 2-0 win. McAuley followed up on a Sam Ruopp point shot and got two whacks at a rebound before wristing the puck into the open side. Justin Almeida assisted on the play for his first WHL point.
Sophomore centre Jordan Ross made it a 2-0 count eight minutes into the second period, cranking in rebound after Haydn Hopkins took the puck in deep from the blueline. Ross's goal opened up the dam and the Cougars, frustrated by their bad luck around the goal in Friday's game, were rewarded with two more goals before the intermission.
Not long after Gabrielle's first goal, Minnesota Wild prospect Chase Witala cashed in a spectacular individual effort. The 20-year-old fourth-year Cougar took a feed from Bartek Bison and with a burst of speed split the defence and shoveled a backhander in for a 4-0 lead.
Matt Fonteyne snuck one past Shields early in the third period, but Gabrielle iced any hopes of a comeback five minutes later. Harkins did most of the work at the side of the net, setting up Gabrielle in front for an easy tap-in. Mario Petit came in to relieve Hart for the start of the third period with the game out of hand, but goaltending was not an issue for either team at any point in the two-game series.
"Both first periods were close each night and the team that scored the first goal gained a huge advantage because the goaltenders were excellent," said Silvertips head coach Kevin Constantine. "We probably had more good scoring chances in the first half tonight than we did the previous night."
LOOSE PUCKS: Cats LW Aaron Boyd served a one-game suspension for his hit to the head of Silvertips captain Dawson Leedahl in the third period Friday. Boyd was assessed a minor penalty on the play for charging. Leedahl, 19, sat out Sunday's game as a precautionary measure.. The Cougars will be in Seattle for their next game Saturday.
