Seattle Thunderbirds left winger Nico Myatovic needs no introduction to a Prince George hockey crowd.
P.G. was home for the first 16 years of his life and Myatovic figures no fewer than 50 family members will be in the stands at CN Centre tonight cheering for him and the Seattle Thunderbirds when they play the Cougars in Game 3.
That doesn’t include his friends, who might have a tough time switching their allegiances away from the Cougars, who are into the second round for the first time since 2007.
“It’s good we got those first two under our belt there and it’ll be super-exciting to play here,” he said. “Tons of friends and family reached out and said they’re going to be there, so that makes it more special.
“We’re trying to carry that momentum into Prince George from the first two games but they have an elite club with high-end skill and the city is rallying behind the team, which is exciting to see, so we’re expecting a big push here the next two games.”
The T-birds lead the best-of-seven series 2-0, opening with 4-1 and 5-1 wins over the weekend at home. After sweeping Kelowna, a Seattle team that has 10 NHL draft picks and five first-rounders has yet to lose in the playoffs.
“We’re pretty deep, our GM did a really good job assembling the team and now it’s up to us in the room to get the job done, and I think we’ve done a good job coming together in the playoffs,” Myatovic said.
in his second full WHL season, Myatovic established himself as a strong two-way forward and is now touted as a potential second-round NHL pick. He finished sixth in team scoring with 30 goals and 30 assists, picking up on the momentum he created last year in a 25-game playoff run that ended in a six-game WHL final loss to Edmonton.
