Their modest three-game win streak screeched to a halt Sunday but the Prince George Cougars are still in the hunt for a Western Hockey League playoff spot.
The Cougars (21-39-2-6) rebounded from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits but the league's worst team, the Vancouver Giants (21-47-2) beat the visitors to Pacific Coliseum 5-3. Cain Franson had a goal and three assists to lead the Giants.
Zach Pochiro (14), Jordan Tkatch (6) and Colin Jacobs (24) scored for the Cougars. Payton Lee made 26 saves in the Vancouver net to earn the win while Mac Engel also made 26 saves in the loss. Pochiro and Jacobs each had two-point games in Vancouver.
It was the Cougars third game in three nights. The Cougars began their six-game road trip with a 2-1 shootout win Friday in Seattle and followed it up with a 3-2 shootout win in Kennewick, Wash., over the Tri City Americans at the Toyota Centre.
Jari Erricson (13) and Dallas Ehrhardt (6) scored in regulation for Prince George while Pochiro and Jacobs beat Troy Trombley in the skills competition. Erricson also had an assist. Engel made 22 saves, plus two in the shootout, for the win.
With the win in Tri City the Cougars remained four points behind the Everett Silvertips (24-39-2-4) for the eighth, and final, playoff spot in the western conference. The Seattle Thunderbirds (23-37-7-2) occupy seventh place with 55 points. Both Everett and Seattle have three games left in the regular season while the Cougars have four remaining.
The Silvertips beat the Thunderbirds 4-3 on Saturday night.
The Cougars play in Spokane against the Chiefs on Tuesday (7:05 p.m.) before returning to Canada for games Thursday in Kelowna and Friday in Kamloops before wrapping up the regular season at home against Kamloops. Seattle host Tri City on Tuesday while the Silvertips are off.
