Three more road games, three more losses.
How long can this go on for the Prince George Cougars?
The Kootenay Ice playing inhospitable hosts to the Cougars Sunday night in Cranbrook, spanking the Cats 7-4 to extend their Western Hockey League losing streak to 10 games.
Former Kamloops Blazer Tim Bozon and Levi Cable each scored twice for the Ice, with singes from Austin Wellsby, Zak Zbrosky and Jaedon Descheneau.
Jansen Harkins, with a goal and two assists, Aaron Boyd, Josh Connolly and Chase Witala scored for the Cougars. Defenceman Josh Connolly also picked up two assists.
Sunday's game began ominously for the Ice, 54 seconds in, when rookie goalie Keelan Williams cleared a loose puck into his own net. Boyd got credit for the goal as the last Cougar to touch the puck before it got to Williams. The Ice responded with goals from Bozon and Cable four minutes apart and Witala tied it before the period ended on a Cougars power play.
But a four-goal second period for Kootenay put the game out of reach for the Cougars, who lost 7-4 Saturday to the Lethbridge Hurricanes and were defeated 5-2 Friday in Medicine Hat by the Tigers.
The Ice (26-22-0-1) outshot the Cougars 40-30. Tavin Grant took the loss in the Cougar nets.
In Lethbridge, the Cougars fired 28 shots in the third period and 56 in total at goalie Jayden Sittler but left empty handed.
Florian Beltram led the Hurricanes with two goals and an assists. Giorgio Estephan, Andrew Nielsen, Mike Winther, Kord Pankewicz and Tyler Wong also scored. Cougars goalie Ty Edmonds was replaced by Patrick Gora after Winther's goal made it a 4-3 game, 10:13 into the second period.
Harkins collected two goals and Jared Bethune picked up his sixth of the season for Prince George. Harkins finished the three weekend games with seven points, after representing the Cougars Thursday in the Top Prospects Game in St. Catharines, Ont.
Cougars captain Sam Ruopp served the fourth of a five-game suspension and winger Colby McAuley was suspended from the game Sunday for a taking part in a fight late in the game in Lethbridge. The Cougars were also without injured players Zach Pochiro, Jari Erricson and Cal Babych. Erricson, who missed most of last season with a concussion, was flattened in the third period Friday by an illegal hit to the head by Tigers defenceman Kyle Burroughs, who was suspended indefinitely.
The Cougars (20-29-1-1) have just one win in 13 games in January and have slipped to fifth place in the B.C. Division, tied in points with Vancouver and Kamloops. They'll try to stop the slide this weekend when they host the Seattle Thunderbirds in a two-game series.
