Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Cougars pack punch in win over Silvertips

For the second time in eight days, the Prince George Cougars got the better of the Everett Silvertips. Different building, same 4-3 score, and Friday’s result was something the Cougars could bank on as they continue their push for the WHL playoffs.

For the second time in eight days, the Prince George Cougars got the better of the Everett Silvertips.

Different building, same 4-3 score, and Friday’s result was something the Cougars could bank on as they continue their push for the WHL playoffs.

The Cougars have been on a bit of roll lately with points in six of their last seven games and Friday’s win, in front pf a CN Centre crowd of 2,131, improved their fifth-place BC Division record to 10-21-2-3. The loss was the third straight for Everett but the Silvertips (25-9-2-1) remained second in the U.S. Division and second overall in the Western Conference.

“They’re a good team but when we play our game we can compete with anyone in this league,” said Cougar centre Tyson Upper. “It feels awesome, they’re one of the top teams in the CHL. We’ve been buying in and we’ve got to keep it going and go on a streak here because our goal in to make playoffs and if we keep buying in there’s no doubt we’ll be there.”

Upper was in a class of his own stoking the Cougars offence with a goal and two assists – his first three-point night since joining the Cats as a rookie last season.

“I have good players around me, they put it in the net and I just go to the net and good things happen,” said Upper, who centred a line with Filip Koffer and Vladislav Mikhalchuk. “We have great players up front and a very deep team so it’s easy to play with everyone.”

Mikhalchuk, Ethan Samson and Ryan Schoettler, with the gamewinner also found the target for the Cats, who moved to within six points of the Tri-City Americans for the second wild-card playoff spot.

Bryce Kindopp, with two goals, and Wyatte Wylie were the Everett goalscorers.  

Taylor Gauthier turned in another superb effort, making 39 saves to improve his record to 7-17-2-3. The Sivertips outshot the Cougars 42-38.

After being stifled in four power-play chances, the Cougars finally clicked midway through the third period with Schoettler scoring the go-ahead goal while Silvertips winger Conrad Mitchell cooled his heels in the box serving an undisciplined roughing penalty. Schoettler took a cross-ice feed from defence partner Cole Moberg and with Josh Maser providing the screen, goalie Braden Holt couldn’t see the shot from the point.

The Silvertips got their goalie to the bench and had the puck in the Cougar zone for most of the final two minutes but were held to just a couple shots on net which Gauthier calmly handled.  

The third period started with a stretch pass from Jack Sander that sprung Mikhalchuk. The 20-year-old Belarusian finished with a backhand-to-forehand deke that fooled the 16-year-old rookie Silvertips netminder, who drew his first WHL start with starting goalie Dustin Wolf half a world away playing for Team USA in the world junior championship in the Czech Republic.

The Silvertips answered eight minutes later on a delayed penalty. Philadelphia Flyers defence prospect Wylie joined the rush and was set up in the slot for his 10th goal on a pass from Cole Fonstad.

Upper staked the Cats to the lead with the only goal of the first period, two minutes before the break. Upper raced in to tap in a loose puck that squirted through Holt’s legs. The visitors jumped ahead 2-1 with back-to-back goals 62 seconds apart from Kindopp, his 29th and 30 of the season.

The Cougars evened the count 28 seconds later on a point-shot wrister from Samson that got through a screen.

Cougars left winger Craig Armstrong, a 16-year-old rookie taken ninth overall in the 2018 bantam draft, played his best game of the season and his one-handed pass back to point led to Samson’s goal. Armstrong made crisp passes, was tough defensively and the five-foot-seven, 175-pounder from Crossfield, Alta., was physical when he had to be. That became apparent in the late stages of the second period when his clean hit on Silvertips defenceman Olen Zellweger led to a fight with Justyn Gurney. Gurney, a 19-year-old who stands six-foot-three in bare feet and tips the Toledos at 190 pounds.

They dropped the gloves and Gurney got the first punch in but Armstrong, who took boxing lessons over the summer, rained down a series of blows and won the takedown to the ice, providing the Cougar bench a shot of enthusiasm lift as he skated off the ice to the dressing room.  

“We all jumped up, we were all yelling – that took courage to get into that fight,” said Upper. “He stunned him with that first punch and just kept swinging. He played well tonight, he wasn’t only in it to fight, he was there to make plays. He’s getting chances.”

Armstrong trained for three weeks in the summer in Idaho and boxing lessons were on the schedule every day. His dance with Gurney was his first hockey fight.

“I wanted to learn it for the conditioning and to stick up for myself in situations like that,” said Armstrong. “I was pretty scared at first, he was a big guy and he was asking me to fight and I just said, ‘let’s go.’ At first he punched me right in the nose, got me good, and that woke me up and I held my own for the last part.”

Armstrong, with six assists in 36 games, is still looking for his first WHL goal. He’s much more comfortable now he knows his way around the league and it’s showing in his play of late.

“I think I’m just more comfortable with the puck, not just getting rid of it, and I’m using my speed more and passing the puck more,” he said. “It hasn’t been easy, it’s different from midget and I’m changing my game, finding out what works and what doesn’t, and that’s been beneficial for me the past few weeks.”

LOOSE PUCKS: The same teams meet again tonight (7 p.m.) at CN Centre. The Cougars will hit the road next week for a six-game East Division tour which starts Wednesday in Regina… Fifteen-year-old Keaton Dowhaniuk made his home debut as the Cougars’ seventh defenceman. He and forward Koehn Zimmer have been practicing all week with the Cougars, called up from their respective midget teams in Alberta.

 

 

 

Friday’s WHL summary

Silvertips 3 at Cougars 4

First Period

1. Prince George, Upper 5 (Krivokrasov, Schoettler) 18:00

Penalties – Fairbrother Evt (tripping) 7:56, Eastman PG (hooking) 13:33,

Second Period

2. Everett, Kindopp 29 (Wylie, Fonstad) 7:32 (pp)

3. Everett, Kindopp 30 (Goncalves) 8:34

4. Prince George, Samson 2 (Armstrong, Bowie) 0:02

Penalties – Butt Evt (double roughing), Upper PG (roughing) 0:10, Gurney Evt (fighting), Kindopp Evt (roughing), Armstrong PG (fighting), Creta PG (roughing) 15:53.

Third Period

5. Prince George, Mikhalchuk 3 (Sander, Upper) 0:35

6. Everett, Wylie 10 (Fonstad, Butt) 8:29

7. Prince George, Schoettler 3 (Moberg, Upper) 10:26 (pp)

Penalties – Christianson Evt (double high-sticking) 2:24, Schoettler PG (tripping) 4:02,

Shots on goal by

Everett 14          15          13          -42

Prince George   17          11          10          -38

Goal – Everett, Holt (L,0-2-0-0); Prince George, Gauthier (W,7-17-2-3).

Power play – Evt: 1-3;PG: 1-5.

Referees – Adam Byblow, Stephen Campbell; Linesmen - Josh Albinati, Nick Albinati.

Attendance – 2,131.