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Colina pulls the trigger in OT

Cougars win 2-1 in Cranbrook, gain four of a possible six points on three-game trip
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Ilijah Colina was late joining the rush during 3-on-3 overtime Sunday afternoon in Cranbrook but once he did enter Kootenay Ice territory he had plenty of space and just enough time.
He took a back-door pass from Josh Curtis and flicked the puck high into the net for a 2-1 Cougars’ victory 33 seconds into OT, which guaranteed the Cats four of a possible six point on their three-game tour of the WHL’s Central Division.
The Cougars’ celebration Sunday afternoon came less than a day after they had ended a four-game losing streak with a 6-5 shootout victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes in Lethbridge, having started with a 4-1 loss to the Tigers Friday night in Medicine Hat.
“It was a good trip,” said Cougars head coach Richard Matvichuk. “We laid an egg in Medicine Hat but we put that behind us and battled really hard for an up and down game (Saturday) night. But to come in for three games in two days, with the travel that we had, we’re very pleased.”
Colina was a standout in Sunday’s game, a key figure killing penalties while keeping the Ice off the scoreboard on their three power-play chances. He was also effective in the face-off circle, winning 16 of 23 draws.
Jackson Leppard opened the scoring 13:32 into the second period, flicking a high backhander from a sharp angle at goalie Duncan McGovern while standing near the side boards. The Ice tied it 3:39 into the third period. Peyton Krebs, listed by NHL Central Scouting as a potential top-10 overall pick in the 2019 draft, took a pass in the slot from linemate Brad Ginnell and buried it over Taylor Gauthier’s shoulder.
The Ice outshot the Cougars 21-6 in the third period and 47-27 in the game. Gauthier was on his game, picked as the second star in what was a busy night for the 17-year-old from Calgary.
“The shots were there but how many of them were quality shots?” said Matvichuk. “From our goaltending throughout our lineup, everybody played well and they played within the system and played hard.” 
Cougar defenceman Cole Moberg’s abilities as a sniper were never more apparent than in the late stages of Saturday’s game in Lethbridge. Moberg fired two goals in the third period and saved his best for last, scoring the shootout winner with a backhand deke.
In a wild third period that produced six scoring plays, the 18-year-old collected his first of the season with a power-play shot from the face-off circle to give the Cougars a 4-3 lead. That came after Tyson Upper of the Cougars (with his first WHL goal) and Jake Elmer of the Hurricanes exchanged shorthanded goals. 
The Hurricanes responded to Moberg’s first goal right away, scoring goals 51 seconds apart. Elmer tied it with a wrist shot and Tyler Ross collected his second of the night when he batted in a rebound on a Lethbridge power play for a 5-4 lead.
But Moberg had an answer for that. He took off on a rink-length rush that ended with him launching a shot in over the shoulder of goalie Reece Klassen with 4:34 left.
“Cole skates the puck really well and he’s got a good shot and it all came together last night,” said Matvichuk. “I thought we played really good last night, a few more turnovers than what we wanted but we never quit. That was a pretty high-offence powered team in Lethbridge and to keep it through overtime and win it in a shootout, we played the right way and were successful and that gave us two points.” 
Five minutes of 3-on-3 overtime solved nothing and it went to a shootout. Ty Kolle and Dylan Cozens scored on Cougars goalie Isaiah DiLaura and it came down to Moberg’s clincher, after Ethan Browne and Vladislav Mikhalchuk had each scored on dekes.
DiLaura had an exceptional night, making 49 saves to earn his first win in two starts this season. The Cougars were outshot 54-30.
Curtis scored a pair of goals, continuing a scoring trend he started when he scored his first of the season Friday night in Medicine Hat.
“He’s been coming really good – his assist tonight on the winner for Colina, his head was up, he had a guy driving to the net (Ryan Schoettler) and then he saw Colina on the backside, so give him a lot of credit,” said Matvichuk. “He was a little snakebitten and now he’s come out of that shell and is starting to finish.”
The win improved the Cougars’ record to 4-5-0-1 and they remained third in the B.C. Division with a chance to get to .500 in their next game, a Sunday afternoon (2 p.m.) encounter with the Swift Current Broncos at CN Centre.