Shields ready to bar the door for Cats

Mack Shields had no idea when he came to the Prince George Cougars training camp how long he'd be staying.

When camp started Aug. 27 there were four goaltenders with WHL experience vying for two spots and one of the stoppers - Ty Edmonds - already had his position as the starter locked up.

Once the preseason began and the Cougars saw what they had to work with, it became a no-brainer to keep the 20-year-old Shields. Acquired in the summer after clearing waivers, Shields was the go-to goalie last season for the Calgary Hitmen, leading them into the third round of playoffs, and he picked up right where he left off once he donned a Cougar uniform.

Shields introduced himself to a CN Centre audience of 3,106 last Saturday, playing the second half of the Cougars' preseason game against Kamloops, stopping 17 of 20 shots in a 6-5 victory.

"It was a great turnout for our first (and only) exhibition game here and we really heard the crowd," said Shields. "It's nice to put the training camp behind us and focus on what's coming up for us this year. Coming off the bench I felt pretty good under the circumstances. We were still missing our (seven) NHL camp guys and when they come back we'll tighten up even more."

To make room for Shields, last week the Cougars sent 19-year-old Patrick Gora to Camrose of the AJHL and shipped 17-year-old prospect Tavin Grant to the junior B Kamloops Storm. On Monday they traded winger Aaron Macklin to Regina to allow Shields one of the three 20-year-old roster positions.

Although they're competing for playing minutes, Shields and Edmonds have become good friends in their brief time as teammates. Together, they form what could be one of the top goaltending tandems in the WHL.

"I think competition breeds success and Ty's a great guy and me and him get along really well," said Shields. "A lot of times when two guys are battling it out there's some animosity but Ty was the first guy to welcome me to the team and it's going to work really well. We'll push each other and it will be really good for both of us because we're just going to make each other better."

Shields, a native of Saskatoon, played 49 regular-season games for the Hitmen, compiling a 2.67 goals-against average and .900 save rate with two shutouts. He played in 12 playoff games, finishing with a 6-3 record.

Edmonds played 60 regular-season games last season and recorded a 3.64 goals-against average and .892 save percentage. He also played in all five of the Cougars' playoff games.

The Cougars open the season at home Friday (7 p.m.) against the Everett Silvertips, who also play in Prince George on Sunday (5 p.m.). Forwards Chase Witala (Dallas) and Jared Bethune (Minnesota) returned from their NHL camps last week. Tate Olson rejoined the team this week from the Vancouver Canucks camp and defenceman Sam Ruopp (Columbus) and forwards Brad Morrison (New York Rangers) and Jesse Gabrielle (Boston) are on their way back to Prince George or are already back. As of Wednesday afternoon, Jansen Harkins was still with the Winnipeg Jets.