What a difference a season makes.
For Prince George Cougars goalie Nick McBride, the contrast is as clear as night and day.
Six wins in six games to start the season? Last year it took the Cougars 13 games before they hit the six-win mark and that came almost a month later in the season.
McBride made sure the Cougars kept their string of perfection intact Saturday, polishing off a 29-save gem to back the Cats to a 3-0 win over the Kelowna Rockets at CN Centre.
“It’s exciting,” said McBride. “I think it has a lot to do with how our dressing room is meshing together. We’ve got a bunch of older guys and not too many egos and just a lot of good players. We’re not just playing two lines, we’re flowing through all the lines very good and that really helps.”
For McBride, who recorded just one shutout in 2015-16, Saturday’s game was a far cry from how he felt when he got yanked halfway through Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Giants after giving up four goals on 12 shots.
“You really don’t start thinking about (the shutout) until the third period rolls around, I was really just looking for a win and looking for a nice bounce-back game after the game I had in Vancouver so it was a really nice feeling to get that win,” said McBride.
“I was way too anxious in Vancouver. It being my hometown, I had a lot of people come out to see and got stressed out. This game, I just relaxed myself and played my game.
“It means all the difference to not be in pain every time I butterfly or kick my leg out. It makes a huge difference when my movements aren’t restricted like they were last year and the year before.”
Jared Bethune began the two-game weekend series as the leading point-getter in the WHL but was held without a point until the 16:13 mark of the third period when he jammed in a rebound to cap the scoring with his fifth of the season. He now has five goals and five assists for 10 points in six games. Colby McAuley and Brad Morrison drew assists Saturday and are right behind Bethune, each with nine points.
The Cougars are getting balanced scoring from top to bottom in the lineup.
“The biggest thing with our team this year is we don’t care who’s scoring, we’re just playing for each other and trying to win every game and it’s showing,” said Bethune.
The Cougars were playing their fourth game in five nights and came out looking sluggish but escaped without any damage. McBride was at his best early in the second period when the Rockets went to work trying to break a scoreless deadlock. Winger Cole Lind had at least three solid scoring chances swallowed by the equipment of McBride before the period was five minutes old. That continued later on in the period when McBride kicked out his toe to deny Devante Stephens on a point blast and Tomas Sousal on a dangerous rebound attempt.
The Rockets were much more disciplined than they were Friday when they took nine minor penalties in a 4-1 loss to the Cougars, but once again they couldn’t score. They also lost 2-1 to the Cats Wednesday in Kelowna. The Rockets hadn’t lost three in a row to Prince George since 1998-99.
“Tonight we created some chances in the offensive zone but we didn’t capitalize,” said Rockets head coach Jason Smith. “You have to be around the net more and be more competitive around the offensive side of the puck to score goals.
“The Cougars compete and work hard and don’t take many shifts off and they pursue the puck and generally have some guys who can put the puck in. Goaltending is a factor and any time you get solid goaltending you’re going to have a chance to win games.”
Aaron Boyd, not the usual suspect in the scoring department with just five goals in 61 games last season, lit the red light first, 17 minutes into the second period, sprung free on a lead pass from Yan Khomenko. That line, with Khomenko at left wing and Josh Curtis on the right side, was the best of the night for the Cougars, creating offence whenever they had the puck and rarely getting caught out of position.
The Cougars are all alone atop the WHL standings at 6-0-0-0. No Prince George team in 23 years has gotten off to better start.
“Six in a row is a big deal – it was our biggest streak last year so we’re just hoping to beat it this year,” said Boyd. “I think we all came in with a different mindset this year, with a new coach and having all these new systems to follow. It’s just a lot more fun this year.”
The Cougars connected on their fourth power play of the game, 29 seconds after Connor Bruggen-Cate tripped up Khomenko along the boards. Martin accepted Justin Almeida’s pass from the corner, stepped in from the blueline and fired a wrist shot which handcuffed goalie Brodan Salmond.
The Cougars’ penalty kill has been nearly perfect, allowing just one goal on 34 opportunities (a 96.8 per cent kill ratio) and they killed off all five penalties Saturday. Including Martin’s second-period snipe, the Cats’ power play scored four goals in the two weekend games against Kelowna, increasing the success rate from 5.9 to 15.1 per cent.
“Every game has been a complete team effort which is very gratifying for me,” said Cougars head coach Richard Matvichuk. “You look at the way guys are sacrificing their bodies for each other and the friendships – they’ve already bonded this early in the year, it’s awesome.
“The power play has always been good, they were moving the puck well, it just wasn’t going in the net. You just have to stay with it and fortunately they have been. Our power play was great. Your goalie has to be your best penalty-killer and that’s what’s been happening.”
LOOSE PUCKS: Olympic high jumper Alyx Treasure was among the 2,806 in attendance Saturday. The 24-year-old Prince George Track and Field Club alumna made the trip back from her home in Kansas for a fundraiser and to announce plans to establish a foundation to help young local athletes pay for their competitive pursuits… Trevor Sprague was behind the Cougars’ bench for his fourth WHL game as an assistant coach. Sprague, the head coach and general manager of the Cariboo Cougars major midget team, is with the team on an interim basis until the Cougars have a full-time assistant in place... There was another familiar face on the ice wearing black and white stripes with the return of linesman Alex Teichroeb. He’s back after serving two years in the Canadian military… The Cougars host the Vancouver Giants in their next games Friday and Saturday.
