Ty Edmonds admits he had a lump in his throat as big as a hockey puck.
Maybe it was that collection of butterflies fluttering up from his stomach.
He was nervous for Wednesday's BMO NHL/CHL Top Prospects Game in Calgary but it didn't show in his play. In the biggest game of his life against hockey's top draft-eligible prospects, the 17-year-old Prince George Cougars goalie allowed just one goal -- a power-play deflection -- while facing 17 shots playing 1 1/2 periods for Team Cherry in what ended up a 4-3 loss to Team Orr.
"It was an unbelievable week and I had a ton of fun, one of the best weeks of hockey I've had in a long time," said Edmonds, whose Cougars host the Edmonton Oil Kings tonight at CN Centre.
"It was intimidating to say the least. They were some great shooters and great all-around players. When we were practicing there was so much skill you just wanted to watch and look at it all. It was incredible to play against those guys."
Edmonds has ridden a rollercoaster in his rookie WHL season. He started out as the backup to 18-year-old Brett Zarowny, but got into a groove that resulted in him winning the Vaughn CHL goalie of the month award in October. Edmonds' play tailed off in November and Zarowny appeared to have won the starting job back again when he injured his groin warming up for a game Dec. 6. That made Edmonds the Cougars' goalie of record for next 16 games, a stretch that continued until last Friday in Vancouver, when he allowed four goals in the first period and was replaced by Adam Beukeboom. Acquired last Thursday from the Vancouver Giants for a seventh-round bantam pick in 2016, Beukeboom played well in his debut, stopping 25 of 27 shots in what ended up a 6-5 Giants' victory.
Beukeboom, who had been playing for Drumheller of the AJHL, went the distance Saturday in Kamloops. He got off to a rough start, giving up two goals on the first two shots he faced, but allowed just one more the rest of the game as the Cougars beat the Blazers 4-3 in a shootout.
"I thought he played well both nights," said Cougars head coach Mark Holick. "The sixth goal in Vancouver, I don't know if it went off a guy, but that's something you don't want to be letting in. After letting the first two shots in in Kamloops he responded really well and shut the door the rest of the way and allowed us to come back and win the game. Now we've got three goalies, so they can fight for the net."
Saturday's game was the first WHL start for the 19-year-old from Sundre, Alta., since the 2012 playoffs, when he was with the Regina Pats.
"The whole time I was in the AJHL it was in the back of my mind I wanted to get back in the 'Dub," said Beukeboom. "It was big surprise getting that call and I hope I can come in and make a difference for the guys."
Winners of four of their last 10, the Cougars also host the Oil Kings Saturday at 1:30 p.m., part of the Hockey Day in Canada celebration. The Oil Kings (29-13-0-1) rank third overall in the Eastern Conference and have been one of the hottest WHL teams in January. Their 5-4 loss to the Kootenay Ice Sunday in Cranbrook ended a six-game winning streak.
The Oil Kings have five NHL draft picks, including leading scorer C Henrik Samuelsson (Phoenix, 27th overall in 2012; 18g-34a-52 pts); LW Mitch Moroz (Edmonton, 32nd overall in 2012; 25-18-43); G Tristan Jarry (Pittsburgh, 44th overall in 2013; 2.30 GAA, .912 save percentage); C Curtis Lazar (Ottawa, 17th overall; 22-19-41); and D Griffin Reinhart (New York Islanders, fourth overall in 2013; 2-9-11). Seventeen-year-old D Aaron Irving represented the Oil Kings on Team Cherry in the Top Prospects Game.
Prince George (17-23-2-4) is ninth in the West, four points behind the Tri-City Americans, who hold down the eighth and final playoff spot and have two games in hand over the Cougars.
Former Tri-City Americans defenceman Wil Tomchuk, 19, is expected to make his debut in a Cougars uniform tonight after missing eight weeks with a broken hand. He hasn't played since Nov. 23. The Cats picked up the six-foot-two, 185-pound native of Fort McMurray, Alta., two weeks ago in a trade for a conditional pick in 2015 or 2016. To make room for Tomchuk, the Cougars released 19-year-old D Joshua Smith, who played eight games for the Cats after being called up from Okotoks of the AJHL.
Zarowny was back on the ice Thursday , working with Cougars goalie coach Justin Cardinal, but won't be ready to play anytime soon. Still out with injuries are LW Jari Erricson (concussion), C Alex Forsberg (concussion), LW Chase Witala (concussion), C David Soltes (knee), D Peter Kosterman (broken jaw). RW Brett Roulston returned to the lineup last weekend after being sidelined two months with a broken foot. LW Aaron Macklin is back after missing Saturday's game in Kamloops with the flu. That leaves the Cougars with 10 forwards and eight defencemen.
The Oil Kings have no injuries to report.
