BRANDON, Man. – The Prince George Cougars continued their successful eastern road trip, securing their second consecutive win with a heart-pounding 3-2 overtime victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings at Westoba Place. Bauer Dumanski played the role of hero, scoring the OT winner at 4:37, marking his second goal of the season.
The Cougars wasted no time in making their mark on the scoreboard, with Arjun Bawa initiating the scoring just 1 minute and 59 seconds into the game. Koehn Ziemmer showcased patience and skill, setting up Bawa with a precise pass in tight. The Wheat Kings managed to find the equalizer, as Jayden Wiens tapped in a backdoor feed from Nolan Flamand at 16:23, levelling the score at 1-1. The fast-paced first period concluded with the game still tied, and the shots on goal reading 12-6 in favour of Prince George.
The second period saw a flurry of action, highlighted by Riley Heidt, a draft pick of the Minnesota Wild, who skillfully picked the pocket of a Brandon defender and launched a powerful shot past Carson Bjarnason at 11:59, putting the Cougars in the lead at 2-1. Heidt's eighth goal of the season kept Prince George ahead as the teams entered the second intermission.
Despite the Cougars' best efforts, the Wheat Kings applied intense pressure and took numerous shots during the final period. Detroit Red Wings' first-round draft pick, Nate Danielson, managed to find the equalizer by sending a precise shot from the right circle past Ty Young, tying the game at 2-2 at 10:50. This intense contest persisted, but after 60 minutes of regulation play, the score remained level.
In an electrifying overtime frame, Bauer Dumanski seized an opportunity, stripping the puck off Nate Danielson's stick. He then embarked on a breakaway, firing a shot that hit the post and sailed into the net past Carson Bjarnason's glove side. This stunning goal secured the Prince George Cougars an exhilarating 3-2 overtime victory in Brandon.
The Cats return to action Friday night to face the Saskatoon Blades at Sasktel Centre at 6:00 pm PDT.
Elsewhere in the WHL:
RAIDERS 4 PATS 1
REGINA — Sloan Stanick produced a goal and an assist as the Prince Albert Raiders beat the Regina Pats.
Krzysztof Macias, Cole Peardon and Niall Crocker also scored for Prince Albert. Raiders netminder Chase Coward stopped 23 shots.
Corbin Vaughan had the lone goal for Regina. Pats goaltender Kelton Pyne made 22 saves.
SILVERTIPS 5 HURRICANES 1
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — Julius Miettinen scored twice as the Everett Silvertips topped the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Dominik Rymon, Carter Bear and Teague Patton had the other goals for Everett. Silvertips netminder Tyler Palmer stopped 19 shots.
Leo Braillard had Lethbridge's only goal. Hurricanes netminder Harrison Meneghin made 24 saves.
WINTERHAWKS 6 TIGERS 3
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. — Josh Davies and Diego Buttazzoni each scored twice as the Portland Winterhawks defeated the Medicine Hat Tigers 6-3.
Jack O'Brien and Gabe Klassen had the other goals for Portland. Klassen also pitched in three assists. Luca Cagnoni had four helpers.
Winterhawks goaltender Jan Špunar stopped 22 shots to earn the win.
Tyler MacKenzie, Hunter St. Martin and Kadon McCann scored the goals for Medicine Hat. Reid Andresen had two assists.
Tigers goaltender Evan May made 26 saves.
AMERICANS 4 GIANTS 1
Kennewick, Wash. — Jordan Gavin scored twice as the Tri-City Americans defeated the Vancouver Giants.
Deagan McMillan and Jake Sloan had the other goals for Tri-City. Americans' goaltender Lukas Matecha made 36 saves.
Aaron Obobaifo scored Vancouver's only goal. Giants netminder Brett Mirwald stopped 20 shots.
- with files from The Canadian Press
