The Western Hockey League playoffs just around the corner but the Prince George Cougars still have some regular season business to attend to this weekend when they take on the Kamloops Blazers in a home-and-home series tonight and Saturday.
The Blazers have the B.C. Division title sewn up and they will host the second-place Cougars tonight in Kamloops, followed by a CN Centre matchup between the teams on Saturday (6 p.m.).
The Blazers, who are hosting the Memorial Cup national championship in May, have won five of the seven games against the Cougars this season and have suffered just one regulation loss to the Cats, a 10-6 defeat Dec. 31. In their most recent meeting, Feb. 11 in Kamloops, Matthew Seminoff scored with just eight seconds left in regulation time to seal a 5-4 victory for the Blazers.
The record watch continues for Cougar defenceman Hudson Thornton. With 22 goals and 72 points, Thornton has already broken the single season team record for points by a defenceman formerly held by Christian Chartier (68), set in the 2000-01 season. Thornton’s 22 goals leaves him tied with Dustin Byfuglien for most goals in a season by a Cougar d-man.
Cougar centre Chase Wheatcroft needs to score three more times to reach the 50-goal plateau. His 105 points ranks second in the WHL to Conor Bedard (142). Quinn Hancock still holds the single-season team records for most points (112) and most goals (54), both set in 1997-98.
Riley Heidt has already established a Cougar single-season record with 70 assists, breaking the old record of 59 set by Jansen Harkins in 2014-15. Heidt, the WHL’s sixth-leading scorer, is six points shy of the 100-point mark.
The first-round Western Conference playoff matchups are already determined and for the first time in their 29-season history the Cougars will meet the fifth-place Tri-City Americans in a playoff series that starts with Games 1 and 2 next weekend in Prince George.
