Brogan O'Brien had a back-handed backbreaker in store for the Kelowna Rockets.
With less than 10 minutes to play and his Prince George Cougars locked in a 1-1 tie with the Rockets, O'Brien took off at full stride after he was sprung free with the puck on a breakaway pass from Aaron Boyd.
O'Brien made the most of his opportunity, beating Rockets goalie Jackson Whistle for the winning goal in a 2-1 decision Friday night in Kelowna. It was the second point of the game for the 18-year-old Cougars centre, a Prince George native, who also assisted on the opening goal of the game.
Ty Edmonds was spectacular in net for the Cougars and came up with a game-saving act of thievery to deny Kelowna shooter Rodney Southam with 47 seconds left and Whistle on the bench for the extra skater.
Cougars' leading scorer Jesse Gabrielle has been a dangerous penalty-killer this season and he picked up his WHL-leading fourth shorthanded goal of the season on a feed from O'Brien. Gabrielle's breakaway goal, his 10th of the season, was one of only two shots the Cougars were able to muster in the opening period while getting outshot 10-2.
The Rockets' power play put considerable heat on the Cats in the early going and not long after Edmonds made a stellar stop on Devante Stephens, Kelowna finally cashed in with the man advantage to tie the game midway through the second period. Edmonds made the initial save off Tyson Baillie but the rebound landed right on the blade of Cole Linaker's stick and he put it in the net.
The Rockets outshot the Cougars 31-20. Edmonds was named the game's first star.
The win moved the Cougars (7-6-0-0) to within four points of the Rockets (9-5-0-0), who hold down second place in the WHL Western Conference.
The Cats went 0-for-2 on the power play while Kelowna was 1-for-5.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Cougars were without the services of C Jansen Harkins (illness) and D Tate Olson (upper-body injury). Kelowna was missing C Rourke Chartier (upper-body injury), LW Tanner Wishnowksi (upper body) and D Jonathan Smart (at World Under-17 Hockey Challenge which starts Sunday in Dawson Creek/Fort St. John)... The Cougars returned home after the game to prepare for Monday's game against the vastly-improved Lethbridge Hurricanes. The Hurricanes, 10-3-0-0, lost 7-3 in Kamloops to the Blazers Friday night... Friday's game was the 300th game broadcast by Cougars' play-by-play announcer Dan O'Connor.
