For the first time this season, the Prince George Cougars have a winning record.
For that, they have a couple of castoffs to thank.
In what was a total team effort in their 5-0 win over the Calgary Hitmen Wednesday night at CN Centre, two Cougars who were shown the door by their former Western Hockey League teams grabbed the spotlight.
Mack Shields, 20, stood tall in goal for the Cougars while making 23 saves against the Hitmen -- the team which gave up on him and left him in limbo, until the Cats gave him a chance to revive his career.
Right winger Jesse Gabrielle was also a huge factor in Wednesday's outcome with two shorthanded goals in a little more than a period of action in his ninth game with the Cougars since arriving in a midsummer trade from the Regina Pats, the second WHL team in less than year to send him packing.
The sweet taste of playing significant roles in their last home game before an extended road swing which will take them away for 10 of their next 13 games left both Cougars smiling.
After backstopping the Cougars with 25 saves Tuesday in a 5-2 win over the Hitmen, Shields came up with another gem in the rematch -- his fifth game for the Cougars after appearing in 98 regular season and 15 playoff games over three seasons for the Hitmen. Of his six career shutouts, Wednesday's was by far his most satisfying.
"This has to be Number 1, the emotion that went into this shutout tops them all," said Shields. "It was nice to have my team play the way they did for me and we also played for ourselves because those were two really big games we needed to get points out of. We're hoping we can continue to play this brand of hockey for the rest of the year."
Cougars head coach Mark Holick told Shields after Tuesday's game he'd get the start in the rematch against Calgary. The win left the Saskatoon native with a 3-1 record. He now sports a 2.54 goals-against average (eighth-best in the WHL) and his save percentage is .899.
"I'm really appreciative of getting the chance to play my old team," said Shields. "When I knew I got released I was kind of caught by surprise by it. I'm really appreciative of the chance (Cougars GM Todd Harkins) gave me. Ever since then, I've circled those games (on the calendar). I've had dreams about these nights and it was better than I could have imagined."
Gabrielle, who played 84 regular season games over three WHL seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings, was at his opportunistic best Wednesday, collecting his team-leading seventh and eighth goals of the season. Gabrielle cashed in a 2-on-1 chance on the penalty kill for the first goal 11 minutes into the game. Then, with the Cougars up 2-0 and playing a man short, he intercepted a pass at the Hitmen blueline, kicked it into high gear and broke in alone, dumping the puck in through the legs of Calgary goalie Lasse Petersen.
Gabrielle, 18, a fourth-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 2015, now has three shorthanded goals in his career -- all while wearing a Cougars uniform. As one of the best-conditioned Cougars, his explosive footspeed and quick reactions make him an effective penalty-killer.
"This is honestly the first year I've ever been on the penalty kill, I didn't get that in Brandon or Regina," said Gabrielle, a native of Moosomin, Sask. "It means a lot, it means the coach trusts you in that situation with a guy down. You just have to be aggressive and make them cough up pucks and that's what we made them do and we capitalized as a team."
Unfortunately for Gabrielle, who appeared dangerous each shift playing on a line with Jared Bethune and Brogan O'Brien, he didn't get to stick around for the end of the game. Gabrielle was pretty much forced to drop the gloves with Hitmen forward Elliott Peterson 6:50 into the second period and they both got tossed for staging their fight at centre ice.
Gabrielle plays the game with an edge -- being as aggressive as he can be while trying not to break the rules -- and the Bruins and Cougars have offered tips and how to keep his emotions in check. He has 21 penalty minutes in nine games.
"Obviously you have to find that line and play on it as thinly as possible and I think as I mature it will come more naturally for me to find that line," said Gabrielle, who scored twice on Tuesday. "I'm pretty dedicated to becoming a pro, doing what I can on and off the ice and helping guys and leading by example. I just want to focus on being as professional as possible and consistency for me is a big thing."
Tonight in Kelowna (7:05 p.m. start), the Cougars (5-4-0-0) will try atone for a disappointing 6-2 loss to the Rockets last Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader. That came one day after the Cougars had looked like world-beaters in a 3-0 win over the defending WHL champions. The Rockets (7-4-0-0) are tied with Victoria for first in the B.C. Division, four points ahead of the Cougars.
From Kelowna, the Cats travel to Vancouver for a Sunday (2 p.m.) game against the Giants.
