Lucas Nickles was worth his weight in gold Friday to the Tri-City Americans.
He picked the pocket of the Prince George Cougars and teamed up with goalie Eric Comrie to stick the Cats with the bill, feasting on the pink-jerseyed hosts 4-3 in overtime in front of 1,503 witnesses at CN Centre.
Nickles set up the winner, a point shot from Braden Purtill 4:21 into overtime to seal the deal.
Speed was the weapon of choice for Nickles and he used it to give the red-white-and-blue-clad Americans their first lead, turning on the jets to split the Cats defence and beat Ty Edmonds with a backhand deke.
It was the only goal of the second period and it could have been much worse for the Cats, who were badly outplayed, outshot 16-5.
But the Cougars roared back with a vengeance in the final frame and found a way to tie it. With Edmonds on the bench for the extra skater, Tanner Lishchynsky kept the play in the Americans' end and Klarc Wilson took the puck out of the corner and fed Todd Fiddler in the slot for his 11th of the season.
That came with 45 seconds left in regulation time and it guaranteed a point for the Cougars (11-16-2-3), who now trail the Americans (17-12-1-2) by 10 points.
Down by a goal in the third period, the Cougars had many chances around the Tri-City net but Comrie put on a goaltending clinic, showing a quick glove hand and masterful rebound control to keep his team ahead. It's the kind of netminding the Americans have come to expect from the 18-year-old from Edmonton, who probably deserved an invitation to Canada's world junior team camp but was left off the list. Comrie robbed Fiddler right after he scored the tying goal and was in perfect position to deny Chase Witala one minute into OT.
Shorthanded goals allowed have been the Cougars' kryptonite and they found another way to cough one up in the first period, allowing Nickles to get free on a breakaway.
Nickles rang the crossbar and an unmolested Marcus Messier scored on the rebound with both Cougar pointmen standing nearby. It was the league-leading 11th shorthanded goal allowed by the Cougars this season.
Jordan Tkatch took advantage of Chase Witala's centring feed to score on a backhander 12:35 into the opening frame but Beau McCue tied it 2-2 before the intermission while falling. Aaron Macklin opened the scoring with his first as a Cougar on a breakaway 56 seconds into the game.
We had 16 skaters and half of them took the night off, said Cougars head coach Mark Holick.
I was real disappointed in some of the effort tonight. The game starts at 7, not 7:35.
The same teams meet again tonight (7 p.m.).
LOOSE PUCKS: Tonight is Teddy Bear Toss night. Fans are encouraged to bring plastic-wrapped stuffed toys to the rink to toss onto the ice as soon as the Cougars score their first goal.
The Cats were wearing pink to support the team's drive for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
The Cougars had seven players out of the lineup, six with injuries and one suspended. The injured list included forwards David Soltes (knee), Jari Erricson (concussion), Zach Pochiro (concussion), and Brett Roulston (knee), defenceman Raymond Grewal (ankle) and goalie Brett Zarowny (groin).
Tate Olson returned after missing four games with a concussion.
Cougars captain Troy Bourke returns tonight after serving a three-game suspension.
Soltes, an 18-year-old import, has returned to his home in Slovakia, where he underwent knee surgery.
The Americans are also in injury trouble. Already without defencemen Wil Tomchuk, Mitch Topping and Riley Hillis and forwards Parker Bowles, Rodney Southam and Justin Merreck, the Americans lost Plutnar to injury early in the second period when he fell hard against the boards after a shoulder check from Macklin. LW Taylor Vickerman had to be helped off the ice in the second period and did not return.
