Nearly a full week after posting their biggest win of the season, the Prince George Cougars return to the ice Saturday in Moose Jaw (6 p.m. PT) to begin their five-game East Division tour.
The Moose Jaw Warriors are off to an 8-6-0-0 start and rank third in the Eastern Conference and they will be a tough test for the Western Conference-leading Cougars (9-3-0-0).
Both teams are ranked in the CHL top-10, with the Cougars fourth on that list and the Warriors at No. 7.
The Cougars haven’t played since Sunday, when they defeated the Central Division leading Medicine Hat Tigers 5-4 at CN Centre.
“We love where we’re sitting right now, we’ve played some really good hockey and we deserve to be proud of ourselves,” Cougars head coach and general manager Mark Lamb. “We’ve earned it and now we just have to keep going.”
Cougars defenceman Bauer Dumanski is from Lockwood, Sask.,183 kilometres northeast of Moose Jaw, and he will have a large contingent friends and family in attendance Saturday and Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. PT), when the Cougars play in Regina.
Dumanski fired the game winner late in the third period against the Tigers, his first goal of the season.
“We have a lot of confidence for sure and we’re just looking forward to continuing what we’ve got right now,” said Dumanski, 18, now in his third WHL season.
“We’re going to have to show up on this road rip, there’s a lot of good teams in the East.”
The Cougars visit Brandon on Wednesday, Saskatoon on Friday and Prince Albert next Saturday.
They will be back at CN Centre on Friday, Nov. 10 to take on Red Deer.
