Ted Brennan blew out the candles on Mark Holick cake.
Holick was hoping his 47th birthday Saturday would end on a happier note than the 3-2 overtime loss his Prince George Cougars suffered in preseason WHL action in Kelowna.
And it was Brennan, a 15-year-old midget prospect from Malahat, who decided it with a backhander on Mack Shields. He was only shooter in the shootout to find the net, after Cougars Chase Witala, Brad Morrison and Jansen Harkins were denied by Rockets goalie Jackson Whistle.
Sheilds made saves on Cole Lind and Calvin Thurkoff in the shootout. That came after a scoreless five-minute sudden-death 3-on-3 overtime period, which replaces the 4-on-4 overtime session formerly used to decide WHL games tied after regulation time.
The Cougars blew a one-goal lead with three minutes left in regulation when Gage Quinney tipped a point shot past Shields. Jared Bethune had scored the go-ahead goal five minutes into the third period, his second point of the game.
The loss was the second of the preseason for the Cougars, who dropped a 6-3 decision Friday in Kamloops.
Tyler Mrkonjic opened the scoring seven minutes in but that lead lasted only 2 1/2 minutes when Rockets right winger Lind scored the only other goal of the first period.
The Cougars successful killed off a two-minute 5-on-3 disadvantage in the second period when Sam Ruopp and Jesse Gabrielle both got sent off at the same time for minor penalties. Cougars goalie Ty Edmonds came up with one of his best saves of the game to deny Quinney late in the penalty kill.
Edmonds came out of the game 10 minutes into the second period, having stopped 13 of 14 shots giving Shields his first taste preseason action in a Cougars uniform. Shields, 20, joined the Cougars over the summer after he was released by the Calgary Hitmen. He made 15 saves on 16 in 35 minutes of playing time.
Jake Morrissey started in net for the Rockets, allowing one goal on 16 shots before Whistle entered the picture at the midway mark. Whistle blocked 18 of 19 shots he faced as the Cougars outshot Kelowna 35-31.
The Cougars traveled back to Prince George overnight and with the holiday will practice Tuesday before they leave for Kennewick, Wash., where they play three exhibition games in four days this week.
The Cougars take on the Portland Winterhawks Wednesday at 7:05 p.m., followed the next day by an 11 a.m. encounter with the Everett Silvertips. On Saturday the Cats play the Kootenay Ice starting at 11 a.m. They host the Kamloops Blazers in their only preseason home game, Saturday, Sept. 19 at CN Centre and open the season at home the following weekend against Everett.
LOOSE PUCKS: Rockets forward Nick Merkley, who led the team in scoring last season with 20 goals and 70 assists for 90 points, has signed an entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes, the team which drafted him in the first round, 30th overall in 2015... The Cougars have seven players heading to NHL camps on Wednesday, including Witala (Dallas) and Bethune (Minnesota), Morrison (New York Rangers), Ruopp (Columbus), Harkins (Winnipeg), Gabrielle (Boston) and Tate Olson (Vancouver).
