If there's one Prince George Cougars player who's familiar with their opponent tonight, it's Chance Braid.
The 20-year-old left-winger arrived in Prince George in the off-season after he was dealt to the Cougars by the Prince Albert Raiders. The Cats and Raiders face off tonight at CN Centre (7 p.m.) in their first and only meeting of the WHL season.
"It will be good to see a lot of familiar faces playing against my old team," said Braid, who spent three seasons with the Raiders and collected 17 goals and 40 assists in 201 games. "I know what they'll try to do and I'm looking forward to it.
"We're both looking for two points so it's a pretty big game for us."
It's the first game of a seven-game road trip for Prince Albert as it makes its way through the B.C. Division, as well as a stop in Medicine Hat on Dec. 13.
The Raiders last played Saturday at home where the Brandon Wheat Kings doubled them up 6-3. Prince Albert sports a 13-14 record with 26 points, fifth in the Eastern Conference's East Division.
Meanwhile, the Cougars are also 13-14 with 26 points, good for fourth in the Western Conference's West Division.
The guys to watch out for on the Raiders, according to Braid, are 19-year-old defenceman Josh Morrissey and right-wingers Jayden Hart, 19, and Reid Gardiner, 18.
"Josh has a pretty good shot and can make a lot of plays," said Braid. "We've got to find a way to get in front of his shot. Hart and Gardiner like to put the puck into the net so we'll have to be careful."
Hart shares the lead in Raiders' scoring with 14 goals and 11 assists in 25 games. Left-winger Craig Leverton, 19, also has 25 points, with 12 goals and 13 assists.
Gardiner is third in team scoring with 14 goals and 10 assists.
Former Cougar Jordan Tkatch, who went the other way in the trade that landed Braid, has collected 20 points in 27 games, with five goals and 15 assists.
As for the Cougars, they haven't played since Nov. 26 when they suffered a 5-2 loss to the Regina Pats at CN Centre. They're eighth overall in the Western Conference, four points back of the Tri-City Americans.
Offensively, the Cougars will counter with their top sniper, centre Jansen Harkins, who's tallied seven goals and 22 assists in 27 games.
Left-winger Jari Erricson, second in team scoring with 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) has been suspended for two games for a cross-checking major against Regina.
As for the six-foot-one, 210-pound Braid, who grew up in Chauvin, Sask., south of Lloydminster, he's enjoying his new surroundings. In 21 games, he's notched six goals, four assists and 32 penalty minutes.
"With the new ownership we have high expectations and since I've been here I've gotten treated pretty well," he said. "I'm working on going to the net a lot more. I haven't got the points but I've been playing hard, especially down low."
The Cougars travel to Kelowna Friday and Kamloops Saturday for a two-game road trip. They return home Tuesday, Dec. 9, for a contest against the Saskatoon Blades which is also the annual Teddy Bear toss.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Raiders acquired 20-year-old right-winger Colton Heffley from the Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday for a fourth-round pick in 2016. Prince Albert fired head coach Cory Clouston on Oct. 31 after starting the season 6-9. He was in the middle of a two-year contract with the team. The Raiders replaced him with former CHL coach of the year Marc Habscheid on Nov. 1. Under Habscheid's rein, the Raiders have posted a 7-5 record.
