The Prince George Cougars are getting hot, real hot, at just the right time.
Four road games, four wins, all in the space of five days have the Cougars on a 15-0-1-1 streak that’s put them on top of the WHL’s Western Conference standings heading into the last week of the season.
The Cougars (47-15-3-0) have already set the Prince George record for most wins in a season, dating back 30 years when the franchise moved north from Victoria.
Sunday in Langley the Cougars beat the Vancouver Giants 6-3 on the strength of two goals each from Terik Parascak and Zac Funk and a 25-save outing from Joshua Ravensbergen.
Parascak, since named the WHL’s Tempo rookie of the week, also collected a pair of assists and moved into the 100-point club. He now has 42 goals and 103 points in his rookie season to remain ninth in the WHL scoring race.
Funk continued to add to his team records for most goals and most points in a single season.
His 67th of the season early in the third period was a toe-drag beauty through the slot he finished with a backhander past goalie Matthew Hutchinson was the gamewinner.
Funk also set up Jett Lejoie for the insurance goal eight minutes into the period. Parascak capped the scoring with an empty-netter.
Prince George native Cameron Schmidt, the Giants’ top rookie, scored his 30th of the season in the first period, after Carlin Dezainde put the Cougars ahead. Jayden Lipinski gave the Giants the lead in the final minute of the first but Parascak potted his 42nd of the season 16.9 seconds before the break.
The game came to a halt midway through the second period when Cougars winger Hunter Laing suffered what appeared to be a head injury when he collided with two Giants. Matthew Edwards was given a major penalty and game misconduct on the hit, while a stretcher was brought in to carry Laing off the ice and to the hospital.
Lipinski converted a 2-on-1 chance for a shorthanded goal for a 3-2 Vancouver lead but Funk got that one back later in the five-minute power play for his first of the game.
Riley Heidt picked up three assists and remains third in the league in points with 114, five behind Funk, who holds a one-point edge over Moose Jaw’s Jagger Firkus.
The Cougars started the weekend in Victoria, beating the Royals 6-1 and 10-4, having begun their trip Wednesday in Kelowna with a 6-5 overtime win over the Rockets.
The Cougars are now two points ahead of the Portland Winterhawks (46-15-3-1) for first in the West and they got some help from the Seattle Thunderbirds, who beat the Winterhawks 5-4 in overtime Sunday. Scott Ratzlaff stopped 52 of 56 shots and Prince George-born-and-raised Nico Myatovic had the lone assist on Sawyer’s Mynio’s OT goal.
The Cougars have two games left – a home-and-home series with the Kamloops Blazers Friday in Kamloops and Saturday in Prince George. Portland is down to its last three games, one against Tri-City and two against Seattle.
