Coming off a 7-0 loss to the Red Deer Rebels, the pendulum swung perfectly the other way for the Prince George Cougars.
Desperate for a victory to keep their playoffs hopes alive, the Cougars hammered the Vancouver
Giants 8-0 Friday night in Vancouver.
Combined with the Kelowna Rockets' 5-1 win over the Kamloops Blazers, the playoff picture has improved for the Cats, who now lead Blazers by two points in the battle for the eighth and final playoff WHL Western Conference.
"It was a nice way to start off our roadtrip, for sure," said Cougars head coach Dean Clark.
Charles Inglis led the way with his first hat trick of the season and also collected an assist. He now has 32 goals this season. Brett Connolly triggered the avalanche with a shorthanded goal 11:32 into the game.
Also scoring for Prince George were Taylor Stefishen, Troy Bourke, James Dobrowolski and Taylor Makin.
Ty Rimmer made 16 saves for his fourth shutout of the season as the Cats outshot the Giants 32-16. Mark Segal was yanked from the Giants' net after the second period, replaced by Brendan Jensen with the Cats ahead 4-0.
The Seattle Thunderbirds beat Chilliwack 3-2 Friday to pull to within a point of Blazers, who have three games left in the season. The Cougars, who have four games left, will play in Seattle tonight, then hit Kennewick, Wash., to face the Tri-City Americans on Sunday.
