On a night when the Prince George Cougars built an early lead and got to let off some steam late in the game knowing they were about to end a four-game winless streak, there was no relief in sight for goalie Isaiah DiLaura.
He was trapped in a pressure-cooker for 59 minutes and 21.6 seconds, trying to keep his goose-egg intact.
Seattle Thunderbirds centre Samuel Huo came up with the shot that cracked it, scoring his team's only goal with 38.4 seconds left in what turned out a 4-1 Cougars victory.
The 19-year-old DiLaura, playing in his 19th career Western Hockey League game, was vying for his first career shutout and had it in the bag until T-birds forward Jaxan Kaluski cut across the high slot and let go a high shot that gave the Lakeville, Minn., native trouble. The rebound was left in the crease for Huo, who had an easy tap-in for the spoiler in front of 2,372 witnesses Friday at CN Centre.
The Cougars came in on a four-game skid and in three of those games they had leads to lean on after the first period. But not once this season have they had a four-goal cushion to work with after 20 minutes like they did Friday. It was by far their best period of the season.
They blocked shots like they were going out of style, they stood the T-birds up at the blueline and they scored on their opportunities.
Josh Maser got them kickstarted with a nice individual rush up the left wing. He blocked a shot from pointman Owen Williams and took the puck all the way to the house, scoring on a wrist shot from the face-off circle just 41 seconds in.
Joel Lakusta made it 2-0 with a wicked blast from the point on a Cougars' power play. Vladislav Mikhalchuk added to the count when he rifled off a backhander that sailed in behind rookie netminder Cole Schwebius. The Cougars made it 2-for-3 on the power play late in the period. Cole Moberg took a shot that produced a fat rebound and Tyson Upper was in the right place just off the post to dump the puck in the open side for a 4-0 lead.
The Cougars were full value for their big lead, starting the second period on their fifth power play of the game, but needed a couple of huge saves from DiLaura to keep the T-birds' offence stifled.
Zack Andrusiak stripped the puck from the Cougars and broke in on a 2-on-1 rush, forcing DiLaura to make a pad save and he also stopped the rebound. Not long after that, Kaluski stole the puck from Lakusta and DiLaura had to kick out his leg to block Kaluski's breakaway shot.
DiLaura was even better in the third period, and he had to be sharp when Seattle's seventh-ranked power play was given a couple two-minute opportunities. To the Cougars' credit, their penalty-killers were quick to react and physical in their own zone, clearing away the loose pucks DiLaura was unable to squeeze.
Cats' 17-year-old defenceman Rhett Rhinehart was a standout on the blueline banging bodies and keeping DiLaura's view of the puck unobstructed. The six-foot-three, 200-pound Rhinehart came up with the hit of the night 11 minutes into the second period when he levelled forward Noah Philp along the boards with a clean shoulder-to-shoulder check.
Schwebius struggled with rebound control in the first period but steadily improved as the game went on, coming up with show-stopping saves to deny Mikhalchuk, the Cougars' leading point-getter, and Moberg, who joined the rush looking for his fifth goal of the season late in the second period. Moberg finished the game with two assists.
Maser kept up his hot touch around the net. He's scored in each of the last four games since serving a four-game suspension and has points in his last six games. He was a physical force who kept his feet moving to draw a couple penalties and was worthy of his first-star selection.
The win moved the Cougars (6-7-1-2) back into third place in the B.C. Division. Seattle (7-5-2-0) remained forth in the U.S. Division.
LOOSE PUCKS: Tonight's rematch with the T-birds is the first of the P.G. Cougars Society Mega 50-50 jackpots. Sponsored by the Northland Auto Group, the first 2,000 fans aged 19 or older will receive a $10 strip of 50-50 tickets as they enter the building.... The Cougars will be wearing special black and pink jerseys tonight for their Pink in the Rink breast cancer fundraiser and 30 jerseys will be auctioned to fans through the Cougars' website. The game-worn jerseys of Josh Curtis, Taylor Gauthier and Lakusta will be part of a silent auction open for bids in the CN Centre front lobby starting at noon today... Cougar forward Josh Curtis was selected the Jim's Clothes Closet player of the month for October. He had five goals and four assists in 10 games last month... Cougars centre Ethan Browne was scratched after sustaining a lower-body injury in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to Brandon... Season subscribers Terry and Andrea Hall won the 25 To Life contest and will receive Cougar tickets for life... Team WHL will gather Monday in Kamloops and Tuesday in Langley for the CIBC Canada-Russia Series. The OHL all-stars will play the Russian selects Thursday in Sarnia, Ont., and next Saturday in Oshawa, Ont. The series wraps up with games Tuesday, Nov. 13 in Sherbrooke, Que. and Wednesday, Nov. 14 in Drummondville, Que.
