Hot 'keeper Kehler pushes Cats to the brink

After nearly 50 shots of frustration, the Prince George Cougars were finally starting to see the fruits of their labour.
With time running out in Game 5 of their WHL Western Conference quarterfinal playoff series, they exposed a crack in the armour of Portland Winterhawks goalie Cole Kehler and put two pucks through it to tie a game they’d trailed since late in the first period.
At that point, tied 3-3 with six-and-a-half minutes left in the third period, it appeared they had the Winterhawks gasping, one goal away from putting the ‘Hawks down 3-2 in the series with a chance to wrap it up in Game 6 Monday in Portland.
But that’s not how this one was going to shake down. The Winterhawks came back and scored two goals three minutes apart to beat the Cougars 5-3 Saturday night at CN Centre.
The winner came as a result of a bad line change and a great defensive play by Ryan Hughes, who blocked Jared Bethune’s attempt to get the puck deep into the Portland zone. At that point, Cougars defenceman Josh Anderson was heading to the bench just as the puck kicked up to Caleb Jones, who broke in on a 2-on-1 with Hughes, with Shane Collins the lone Cougar defending. Hughes got the pass at the side and ripped a shot in past Ty Edmonds.
That came 59 seconds after Colby McAuley tied the game 3-3 with a slick move into the middle to fake out Jones, sending the sell-out crowd of 5,822 into a state of delirium.
As if Hughes’s goal wasn’t enough to sink the hopes of the Cougar faithful. with 2:35 left, Cats defenceman Sam Ruopp tried to clear the puck around the corner to his defence partner on the opposite side but the puck ticked off the skate of referee Fraser Lawrence and came right out to ‘Hawks centre Cody Glass, who chipped the puck in the short side behind Edmonds.
Kehler was the reason the outcome was in doubt until late in the game. The 19-year-old from Altona, Man., came up with his best game of the series, making 49 saves while being outshot 51-28 to put the Cougars one loss away from elimination in the best-of-seven series.
“It’s obviously a good spot for us – earlier in the series we had a few bounces not go our way and we’ve just been sticking with it, continuing to work and tonight we had few more bounces go our way,” said Kehler.
“Going back to Portland, it’s going to be a good Game 6 and it’s going to be a ton of fun there. We’re real confident at home and we know the crowd is going to be behind us.”
Kehler has been the starter in net for the ‘Hawks in all five games so far and got yanked in third periods of Games 2 and 3 while the Cougars outscored them a combined 11-2. He’s certainly turned it around.
“I think that’s the first time in my life I’ve been pulled two in a row,” said Kehler. “I felt like I was working hard and doing the right things, it was just a few adjustments I had to make after I talked with our goalie coach (former Cougar goalie) Tyler Love.”
Kehler came up with the save of the game two minutes into the third period with the ‘Hawks nursing a 2-1 lead. Bethune got free with the puck in alone and went wide with a forehand-backhand move that forced Kehler to do the splits and he somehow got his leg in front of the puck.
Seconds later, on the ensuing rush, Matt Revel had Aaron Boyd draped all over him and just as he went behind the goal line he left a backhand pass for Joachim Blichfeld, who jammed it into the net from just outside the crease for a 3-1 lead.
In desperation mode, the Cougars crawled back 10 minutes into the third period. Brogan O’Brien kept his feet moving in the high slot and stripped the puck away from Skyler McKenzie. O’Brien dragged the puck into the middle to avoid his check and rifled a low shot in past Kehler.
When McAuley followed that 3:19 later with his third of the playoffs, the Cougars were convinced they were on their way to the win.
“I think everyone thought we had it when we tied it up, it’s tough,” said Cougars defenceman Tate Olson. “They thrive off of mistakes and that’s what wins them games. You can’t give them opportunities. But we’ll be back for Game 7.”
The Cougars now have to win Monday to force a seventh and deciding game at CN Centre on Wednesday.
“This thing is far from over, we’re going to go down there and win Game 6 and bring it back here,” said Cougars head coach Richard Matvichuk. “I thought we dominated – the shots on net, the physicality, for most of the game we were real good, but the score doesn’t reflect that. We haven’t lost three in a row all year and we don’t intend to now.”
Holding off the Cougars in the third period and limiting the damage to two goals was the key to victory and Winterhawks head coach Mike Johnston knew his team dodged a bullet. They Cougars owned the puck much of the game.
“To be honest I thought we were a little fortunate tonight and certainly in the third period – they had all the pressure and deserved to get at least two goals that they got,” said Johnston. “Cole Kehler was real good in goal for us and he was strong right through the night. When they pushed, I thought we were back on our heels and we mismanaged the puck a bit. Maybe it is our youth and inexperience but guys got kind of nervous. It was a big sold-out crowd and coming away with the win is huge.”
The Cougars came out flying for the first period and were physical, hitting everything that moved. They blitzed the Portland net and got rewarded 69 seconds in when their second shot on goal deflected in. Nikita Popugaev started it with an aggressive forecheck behind the net to take possession. He got the puck back to Olson, who fed it to Collins and Bethune was in front to redirect the shot from Collins.
The Cougars continued to press and came within a Josh Curtis crossbar and a Jesse Gabrielle post of adding to their lead. But the Winterhawks, as they’ve done so often in the series, answered with significant pushback. On Saturday it was their fourth line that tied it up.
Brad Ginnell, a 16-year-old centre playing his second game of the series, put on a burst of speed as he gained the offensive zone on a 3-on-2 rush, dragged the puck into the slot and unleashed a wrist shot high into the net.
Portland took the lead late in the period with McAuley off for an undisciplined roughing penalty. Blichfeld was left alone in the slot and the Danish import had his radar working, blasting in the pass from Glass.  
The Cougars’ power play looked a little disjointed but on their second chance late in the second period they started getting shots through. One of their best chances came when Jansen Harkins fed a lead pass to Bethune and his shot bounced high off the crossbar. It was one of about seven great chances Bethune had on his stick.
“We just have to play like we did tonight to win Game 6, we just have to capitalize more,” said Bethune. “(Kehler) played a good game, kudos to him, but if we get those second and third chances we’ll bury them for sure.”
Down by a goal with less than three minutes left in the second period, Cougars centre Aaron Boyd let go a dangerous shot from the slot and the rebound came out to Jackson Leppard, playing in his first WHL playoff game. Leppard thought he had Kehler beaten with his shot and raised his hands in the air but Kehler made the save and smothered the puck. The rookie Leppard was inserted into the lineup to replace Tanner Wishnowski who was handed a one-game suspension for getting involved in an altercation with a fan in Portland at the end of Thursday’s Game 4.
Both teams left right after the game for the 1,177-kilometre trip to Portland. The short turnaround time will help the Cougars forget about what has to rate as their most stinging loss of the season.
“We played well for two periods but we have to play the whole game well,” said Popugaev. “We’ll be ready for our next game and we’ll do our best. I got traded to this team only to win a Memorial Cup championship and give this organization a championship and I’m looking forward to that.”
Said Cougar defenceman Brendan Guhle: “We still have two opportunities here to win and I’m not worried at all, we have the guys here to do it.
“You’ve got to respect them too, they’ve won championships and their coach knows how to win and clearly they’re adjusting their systems and playing well. We just have to come ready in Game 6 and play our best game.”