As they return to the WHL road for the first time in almost a month, the Prince George Cougars can take satisfaction in the fact they looked like a pretty solid hockey team Wednesday in their 6-1 win at home over the Vancouver Giants.
They had it all working for them for most of the game - Ty Edmonds was lights-out in net, one shot away from a shutout; the defencemen were punishing in their own end and made intuitive plays to break up Giant rushes and clear the zone; and the Cats got scoring punch from all four forward lines.
Even their bottom-dwelling special teams were good. They struck for two power-play goals in seven chances, killed off all five penalties and didn't allow a shorthanded goal.
It led to their most lopsided victory of the season, which got rid of the bad taste left from their two-faced effort the previous night, when they blew a 3-0 lead and lost 6-4 to the Giants. Now, with the season one-third over, 24 games into a 72-game schedule, the Cougars (12-12-0-0) find themselves third in the B.C. Division and fifth overall in the Western Conference.
"I thought we deserved better [Tuesday], we held a team to 22 shots and lost the game but [Wednesday] we were good," said Cougars head coach Mark Holick. "[Edmonds] was good, he let the first one in and then nothing after that. I don't think they had a lot of sustained pressure in our zone and we were just good defensively and the credit goes to the kids, they executed well."
The Cougars' checking line - Haydn Hopkins with wingers Cal Babych and Colby McAuley - played in-your-face hockey, forcing turnovers, and were rewarded offensively. Babych scored two goals and Hopkins contributed three assists.
"When you can get a goal from your fourth line, never mind two, that helps your team and that was a big part of our success here [Wednesday]," said Holick.
Tonight in Kamloops the Cougars take on a Blazers team they beat 4-1 and 3-2 in overtime three weeks ago at CN Centre. The Blazers (10-10-2-2) are tied with the Cougars for third place, each with 24 points, two points behind second-place Victoria. Kamloops is coming off a 4-1 win over Portland on Wednesday.
"They're a lot like Vancouver, they're pretty good in the offensive zone down low with their cycle game and they're not shy when it comes to physical play - they have a few skilled guys we have to watch out for," said Cougars defenceman Joseph Carvalho, who had one assist and finished Wednesday's game with a plus-4 rating. "But we don't have to be scared of anyone. As long as we play our game we'll be fine."
Carvalho, who turned 19 on Nov. 6, now has 12 points (all assists) in 25 games, one point behind Sam Ruopp for the team lead among defencemen.
The Cougars will be in Vancouver to revisit the Giants on Saturday.
Don't get alarmed, but there's a Bear in the Cougars' den.
The Cougars have added defenceman Kirk Bear to their roster for this weekend's roadtrip. Bear, 19, played 35 games in the WHL last season for the Red Deer Rebels, where he had a minus-3 rating with 29 penalty minutes.
Bear, a six-foot-three, 197-pound native of Whitewood, Sask., started this season in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with the Melville Millionaires, where he had two goals and eight assists in 23 games, with 41 penalty minutes.
To make room for Bear, the Cougars sent 17-year-old defenceman Kobe Eagletail to the Banff Bears of the Heritage Junior Hockey League.
