It's all over for the Prince George Cougars.
The team that became a midseason division leader after two seasons as a basement dweller suffered the cruelest of playoff fates Wednesday night at CN Centre, swept in four straight games with a 4-2 loss to the Kelowna Rockets.
Everybody who came to the rink Wednesday knew the Cats' chances of a series comeback were hanging by a thread and the Rockets came armed with their scissors. The B.C. Division regular season champions looked the part in exposing a Cougars' team that was, for the most part, devoid of WHL playoff experience.
The Cougars were without three of their best offensive players - Brett Connolly, Charles Inglis and Nick Buonassisi - who all watched the game from seats atop Section N. Their teammates desperately missed them, and with the season on the line, the healthy Cats couldn't come up with a way to force a fifth game Friday in Kelowna.
Connolly, who led the Cats with 46 goals and 73 points, suffered a separated shoulder two shifts into Game 1 of the series Friday in Kelowna. Inglis and Buonassisi, who both played the three previous games, were scratched Wednesday, listed with day-to-day upper-body injuries.
With those guys out of the way, the Rockets struck first, nine minutes into the game. Zak Stebner had an empty cage to shoot at as he cruised in from his point position to snap in Mitch Callahan's goalmouth feed. The goal came with Wilson Dumais cooling his heels in the penalty box to serve a foolish charging penalty.
Unlike the frenetic pace of Game 3 Tuesday, a barnburner that ended in a 7-6 Rockets' win, both teams took few chances most of the game and struggled in their attempts to create offence. The playoff atmosphere that prevailed in Tuesday's game was pretty much non-existent in Game 4.
Damon Severson put another damper on the crowd of 2,346 when he picked off Martin Marincin's clearing attempt off the boards and launched a high floater that got past the glove hand of Ty Rimmer 3:27 into the second period.
The Cougars finally broke through gathering clouds of elimination with a power-play goal midway through the period. Sena Acolatse's ripper from the blueline struck the back of the net, putting a puck-sized dent in Adam Brown's water bottle, with two Rockets in the box.
Down 2-1, the Cougars appeared to have tied it with three minutes gone in the third period but the goal by James Dobrowolski was waived off when referee Derek Zalaski ruled Taylor Stefishen was in the crease. Seconds later, Shane McColgan broke down the ice, got his own rebound and and put it through the legs of Rimmer.
Rookie Alex Forsberg notched his first WHL goal with a short chip shot from the slot that gave the Cougars faint hope at 8:15 of the third. But the Rockets put it away two minutes later, a result of a poor clearing attempt from defenceman Shane Pilling. His teammates were late arriving to pick up their checks, which gave McColgan all the time he needed to bury it on his third chop at the loose puck from the side of the net.
KITTY LITTER: The Rockets advance to the second round, likely against the Portland Winterhawks, a series that would start next weekend in Portland... In other playoff results Wednesday, the Tri-City Americans swept the Vancouver Giants with a 5-1 win in Vancouver. Portland beat Everett 5-4 to take a 3-0 series lead. The Spokane Chiefs and Chilliwack Bruins were tied 3-3 late in the third period. The Chiefs won the first two games of that series. Prince Albert defeated Saskatoon 6-3, but the Raiders trail in the best-of-seven affair 2-1. Kootenay took a 2-1 lead in its series with a 5-0 win in Moose Jaw.
Prince George Cougars vs. Kelowna Rockets
(Rockets win best-of-seven WHL Western Conference quarterfinal series 4-0)
Wednesday summary
Rockets 4 at Cougars 2
First Period
1. Kelowna, Stebner 2 (Callahan, McColgan)
11:00 (pp)
Penalties -- Stene Kel (tripping) 3:04, Dumais PG (charging) 7:28, Gibb PG (hooking) 12:20, Stebner Kel (elbowing) 17:54.
Second Period
2. Kelowna, Severson 2, 3:27
3. Prince George, Acolatse 3 (Marincin, Dobrowolski) 9:59 (pp)
Penalties -- Barrie Kel (tripping) 0:12, Johnston Kel (unsportsmanlike conduct), Dumais PG (unsportsmanlike conduct) 5:49, Chikie Kel (tripping) 8:42, Stebner Kel (cross-checking) 9:19,
Third Period
4. Kelowna, McColgan 2 (Stebner, Barrie) 4:14
5. Prince George, A.Forsberg 1 (Pilling, Stefishen) 8:15
6. Kelowna, McColgan 3 (Callahan) 10:31
Penalties -- Sissons Kel (high-sticking), Smith PG (unsportsmanlike conduct) 3:47, Fraser PG (elbowing) 5:35, Severson Kel (tripping) 13:50.
Shots on goal by
Kelowna 11 10 10 - 31
Prince George 8 12 15 - 35
Goal - Kelowna, Brown (3-0);
Prince George, Rimmer (0-3)
Power play (goals-chances) --
Kelowna: 1-4; Prince George: 1-6.
Referees - Derek Zalaski, Jeff Ingram;
Linesmen - Adam Hyatt.
Attendance -- 2,346
