It took extra time but it was the same result for the Prince George Cougars as they dropped their fifth straight game.
The Cougars (7-10-1-2) battled back at Pacific Coliseum with a pair of goals 28 seconds apart in the third period but the Vancouver Giants (6-13) earned the extra point in a 4-3 shootout win Sunday. It was the first of eight meetings between the B.C. division rivals.
Brett Roulston and Jari Erricson beat Giants goalie Payton Lee with less than three minutes to go in the Western Hockey League game to tie it at 3-3. After a scoreless overtime period the teams treated the 5,526 fans to the skills competition.
Erricson finished the game with a two points, including his fifth goal of the season.
The shootout went eight rounds with Caleb Belter and Zach Pochiro scoring for Prince George while the Giants received goals from Jackson Houck, Brett Kulak and the winner from Carter Popoff.
It was the Cougars fifth loss in a row, dating back to a shootout loss in Kamloops on Nov. 2. The Cougars last win came Oct. 27, also in a shootout, versus the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Prince George opened the scoring in Vancouver when Alex Forsberg flipped a backhanded shot past Lee 36 seconds into the game off a pass from Dan Gibb. It was Forsberg's fifth goal of the season.
The Cougars top pick, second overall, in the 2012 WHL bantam draft Jansen Harkins received his first taste of junior hockey action, starting the game alongside Forsberg. The 15-year-old just missed out on his first WHL point on Forsberg's goal.
Harkins, a Vancouver product, plays for the Vancouver NW Giants in the B.C. Major Midget League where he has one goal and 17 assists in 10 games.
Mac Engel received his second consecutive start for the Cougars and faced 26 shots while the Cougars fired 40 shots on Lee, including 16 in the final period as they tried to tie the game.
Taylor Vickerman and Taylor Cheek gave the Giants a 2-1 advantage after 20 minutes - Cheek's seventh of the season coming off the face off at the start of a five-on-three man advantage. Riley Kieser notched the only goal of the second period to expand the Giants lead to 3-1.
Giants captain Wes Vannieuwenhuizen led the team with two assists.
Oil Kings sweep
Saturday night the Edmonton Oil Kings (13-5-1-2) completed a two-game sweep at CN Centre. In a carbon copy of their 4-2 win Friday, the Oil Kings needed an empty-net goal to secure the win.
Tanner Lishchynsky and Jarrett Fontaine scored their first WHL goals of the season to give the Cougars a 2-1 advantage after 20 minutes. David Musil scored for Edmonton.
But Dylan Wruck and Keegan Lowe notched second period goals as the visitors took a 3-2 lead. Wruck scored his second goal, third point, of the game into the empty net with 42 seconds left.
The Oil Kings tightened up defensively Saturday, after allowing the Cougars 40 shots in the first game. Edmonton out shot the home side 34-23 as rookie Tristan Jarry earned the win.
Injury woes
The injury, and sickness, bug has hit the Cougars' dressing room as the team left four forwards behind in Prince George when they travelled to Vancouver. Jake Mykitiuk is out indefinitely with mono while Jordan Tkatch (upper body) missed his third straight game but could return to the lineup on the weekend.
In Friday's 4-2 loss to the Oil Kings the Cougars lost both Brock Hirsche and Troy Bourke to upper-body injuries. Both players are slated to be reevaluated this week. The 18-year-old Bourke is day-to-day but the 20-year-old captain could be looking at a lengthy recovery period.
Cougars defenceman Michael Mylchreest returned to the lineup in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Oil Kings after missing six games with an upper-body injury.
Next action
The Cougars host the Saskatoon Blades (8-10-0-1) on Friday at CN Centre before heading to Kamloops for a Saturday game with the Blazers (17-5-0-1) who have dropped four straight.
