The famine continued for the goal-starved Prince George Cougars.
The Cougars, coming off 3-0 and 7-2 weekend losses to the Kamloops Blazers and Kelowna Rockets, were blanked 2-0 by the Swift Current Broncos Tuesday at CN Centre. In the Western Hockey League contest, the visitors broke a scoreless tie with two goals in the third period.
The Broncos were playing the fifth game of a six-game road trip but displayed more jump and desire than the Cats all night long. Swift Current outshot Prince George 35-17 and got its goals from Adam Lowry and Ryon Moser. Lowry scored his team-leading 17th of the season from the slot after Chance Lund dug the puck out of the feet of Cougars forward Daulton Siwak and made a quick pass in front. Moser notched the insurance marker, his 11th goal of the year, after a turnover behind the P.G. net by defenceman Michael Mylchreest.
Cougars head coach Dean Clark juggled lines all game, trying to assemble a trio that could find the back of the Swift Current net. But, nobody could solve 18-year-old goaltender Steven Myland, who was making his first start of the season and the third of his WHL career. Myland got the call in the absence of Eetu Laurikainen. The 19-year-old Laurikainen was preparing for the world junior hockey championship with Team Finland.
Despite the fact they have fallen out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, the Cougars played with little urgency against the Broncos and failed to take advantage of the chances they did generate. Swift Current, meanwhile, was blocking shots all over the ice in an effort to make Myland's job easier. The Cats have now been shut out seven times this season, four of them on home ice.
One of the few positives for the Cougars was the play of 17-year-old goalie Brett Zarowny, who made 33 stops and kept his team in the game.
Tuesday's contest marked the first chance for Cougars fans to lay eyes on Jansen Harkins, the club's first-round pick (second overall) in the 2012 bantam draft. Harkins, from North Vancouver, is known for his play-making abilities and he displayed some slick passing skills against the Broncos. In the early moments of the second period, he and Jari Erricson combined to set up Zach Pochiro at the side of the Swift Current net but Pochiro couldn't get a clean shot away. Later in the second, Harkins found Erricson at the top of the Broncos' crease for another good opportunity. In the third, with the Cats trailing 1-0, Harkins again dished to Pochiro at the side of the Swift Current cage. This time, Pochiro was turned away by Myland.
The Broncos had the better of the play in the first period. They outshot the Cougars 13-6 and came close to getting on the board late in the frame on a pair of opportunities by Coda Gordon, who was a force for his team. First, Gordon cut across the crease and tried to deke Zarowny, but the Prince George netminder -- down in spread-eagle position -- made a pad stop. On the subsequent faceoff, Gordon ripped a shot off the post and Lowry just missed on the rebound.
The highlight of the period for the Cougars was a short-handed, end-to-end rush by Troy Bourke, whose low backhander was blocked by Myland.
The Cougars saw their record slip to 10-17-1-3 and the Broncos improved to 14-16-3-2.
The Cougars will be in Vancouver on Friday to face the Giants, the only team behind them in the standings. The Cats and G-men will then play back-to-back contests at CN Centre on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday's game will feature the ever-popular Teddy Bear Toss and will be the Cats' final outing before the Christmas break.
