Justin Almeida fired the dagger, 30 seconds into overtime.
The former Prince George Cougar foiled his former team just the way he had it framed and he could not have written a better script.
The 3-2 winner for the Moose Jaw Warriors' left winger came right after Warriors goalie Adam Evanoff shot out his leg to stop a shot from Josh Curtis that was heading into the net. The puck came to Josh Brook, who sent a pass up to Tristin Langan, who hit Almeida breaking in on the left wing.
"We gave up a 3-on-2 there and then we got a turnover and had a 2-on-0 with their backchecker," said Almeida, who also assisted on the Warriors' first goal. "I got the pass and saw (Cats defenceman Ryan Schoettler) had his stick over so I wasn't going to pass back and I just shot it in."
The game marked the return of Almeida to CN Centre for the second time since the Cougars traded him to Moose Jaw two seasons ago in the deal that brought forward Nikita Popugaev to the Cougars. Coming off a 98-point season last year, the 19-year-old from Kitimat, a fifth-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018, picked up where he left off after he was named Monday as the WHL's player of the week with three goals and five assists in four games against B.C. Division opponents.
The Cougars picked Almeida fifth overall in the 2014 bantam draft.
"It's awesome - that's my old team and I have some friends on that team and a lot of friends in the stands so it's cool when you score a goal like that," said Almeida, second in team scoring with 15 goals and 60 points in 40 games. "My uncle's here (from Kitimat) and a few friends so it's really cool when I can perform like that."
The Warriors (25-11-6-2) improved on their already stellar road record, improving to 16-3-2-0. They were coming off a 2-1 overtime loss Sunday in Vancouver, after regulation wins in Kamloops, Kelowna and Victoria. But the Cougars played them tough all game, trying to end a four-game losing streak, limiting the Warriors to just 16 shots.
"We just play hard," said Almeida, whose team was outshot 25-16. "Tonight we didn't play too hard but we found a way to win. They played hard defensively and we kind of struggled with the puck today."
The Cougars (15-25-3-2), who are fighting for the second wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference, pulled even with Kamloops, the fourth-place team in the B.C. Division.
Isaiah Colina and Vladislav Mikhalchuk scored for the Cougars. Langan and Jet Woo were the Warriors' marksmen.
In a rapid-fire first period with few stoppages the Cougars notched the only goal, cashing in an odd-man rush with 1:42 left in the period. Schoettler sprung Tyson Upper on a left-wing rush, with Josh Curtis and Colina joined in, using his speed to create a 3-on-1. He took the feed from Upper and blasted the puck in behind Evanoff. It was the first goal for Colina since Dec. 2 when he scored against the Victoria Royals.
Mikhalchuk doubled the lead 3:51 into the second period after defenceman Cole Moberg used his knowledge of the end boards to rifle a point shot purposely wide to create a golden opportunity for his teammate. The puck ricocheted out to Mikhalchuk standing in the deep slot and he buried it in over Evanoff's glove.
Isaiah DiLaura, making his first start in the Cougars' nets since Dec. 30, drew the assignment with Taylor Gauthier off to Red Deer to play in the CHL Top Prospects Game tonight, made a sparking save to keep the Warriors off the board 45 seconds into the second period. DiLaura dove across the crease to get his body in the way of Luke Ormsby's shot from just outside the crease after he took the pass from linemate Keenan Taphorn.
Almeida assisted on linemate Langan's team-leading 37th goal of the season which made it a 2-1 game 7:12 into the second period. Almeida put the puck back to the point for Montreal Canadiens draft pick Josh Brook and his shot was tipped in front by Langan.
The Cougars, trying to shake a four-game losing streak, went right back to creating chances in front of Evanoff while offering very few good looks at their own net to their opponents. A quick whistle saved a goal near the end of the period when Moberg's shot gave Evanoff difficulty and slipped through his pads.
The Warriors tied it 6:14 into the third period after a rare extended shift in the Cougars' end. Denill Stepanov played the puck smartly with his skates to keep Austin Crossley from taking possession and kicked it up to Woo, the Vancouver Canucks second-rounder n 2018. Woo walked in from the blueline and from the top of the circle wired a hard wrister in past DiLaura.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Cougars play their next five games on the road, including games this weekend in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton. They'll return to Prince George after the game against the Oil Kings, followed by games next weekend in Kamloops and Kelowna. The Cats have 23 games left in the regular season, 12 on the road and 11 at home... Just 2,169 turned out to watch the midweek game - the third-smallest home crowd for the Cougars this season. Their two-game set Oct. 23-24 against Tri-City drew 2,162 and 2,130... The Cougars were without winger Josh Maser, their leading goal-scorer, who began a three-game suspension Tuesday after a high hit on Kamloops Blazers D Quinn Schmiemann. There was no penalty on the play. Schmiemann suffered a concussion and is sidelined for the week.... Left winger Kjell Kjemhus played his first game against his former team. The Cougars traded him Dec. 3 for a seventh-round pick in 2021... Taphorn, a right winger, and his twin brother Kaedon, who plays left wing for the Warriors, were both traded to Moose Jaw in an October deal with the Kootenay Ice.
