That goat sound effect they just installed at CN Centre got a workout Friday.
The Prince George Cougars’ Goat – otherwise known as Taylor Gauthier - kept stopping pucks that bucked the Spokane Chiefs beyond their comfort zone. His brilliant 37-save effort and a two-goal first period from the Cougars proved the difference in a 2-1 win in front of a sparse CN Centre gathering of 1,984.
Gauthier has certainly got the Chiefs’ goat this season.
A week ago in Spokane he stopped 44 of 45 shots in a 3-1 victory. In both games he was picked as the first star.
“I’m just coming to the rink and working hard every day,” said Gauthier. “I had a little bit of inconsistency last year so I wanted to come into the year, clean that up and be a high-level goalie every game. I knew I could only achieve that working hard on and off the ice and I think so far it’s been working out for me.”
After a tough start, the Cougars (3-5-0-1) have now won three of their last four games and are tied in points with the Victoria Royals, who hold down fourth place in the B.C. Division. The Chiefs (4-4-1-0) remain fourth in the U.S. Division.
The 18-year-old Gauthier has been a star in five of the last six games and that’s the kind of netminding the offensively-challenged Cougars will need to be successful. The third-year veteran is going to have win games for them almost singlehandedly and that’s what he’s been doing.
“It’s certainly not surprising me, we knew the whole time he’s one of the top goalies in the league,” said Cougars head coach and general manager Mark Lamb. “I see a big difference in his practice habits and his demeanour and leadership and it’s all part of his maturity.
“A lot of people think he’s like 20 years old because he’s been around here, but he’s actually a pretty young goalie that’s just learning.”
The Cougars blasted off to a 2-0 lead but not before they endured an early onslaught of puck possession and offensive zone time generated by the Chiefs in the first few minutes and Gauthier set the tone with several key stops.
In one sequence, Bobby Russell was fed in front and got away a blistering shot that Gauthier kicked out with his pad and Connor Garbruch followed up with a rebound that was stopped by the Cats goalie. On the ensuing rush, Matej Toman picked the far-side corner low to open the scoring, completing a three-way pass play from linemates Fillip Koffer and Tyson Upper with 4:48 off the clock.
Upper made it a 2-0 count in the 11th minute of the opening period. He sprinted for the net and connected solidly on a one-timed pass from Koffer from a sharp angle.
“It was a gutty effort by the team,” said Lamb. “I really liked our start. They’re a good hockey team and they throw a lot of stuff at you. We didn’t play good in the second period at all, we lost our work ethic and did some uncharacteristic stuff we’re getting used to and these are all lessons we’re going to keep preaching and keep doing.”
The game easily could have gotten out of reach if not for Gauthier, who was at his busiest, making 16 of 17 stops in the second period.
“That was a tough one,” said Chiefs associate coach Adam Maglio. “It was very similar to the game a week ago, I thought we were better tonight, to be honest but the first (period) wasn’t nearly where we needed to be. Our forecheck wasn’t good in the first period and that’s a big part of our game, using the team’s speed.
“The second and third we picked things up, but it was good goaltending though, Gauthier did a good job. He controls rebounds really well, he’s calm in the net, not a lot of movement. He’s compact and you’ve got to find dirty ones.”
An effective forecheck on a dump-in led to the Chiefs’ goal midway through the second period which tied it up. Erik Atchison dug the puck out of the corner for Luke Toporowski in the slot. Gauthier made the save but the puck was left uncovered in the crease for Atchison, who tapped it in for his first of the season.
That came 9:26 into the second and the Chiefs had the Cougars under siege for much of the rest of the period but were unable to beat Gauthier. His best of the period denied Chiefs leading scorer Adam Beckman point-blank shot two minutes before the intermission.
The Chiefs had two third-period power plays but couldn’t score on the Cougars’ best penalty-killer. They peppered Gauthier with 15 more shots in the last 20 minutes but he didn’t flinch. At times he must have looked like a human eclipse to the Spokane shooters. He came up with a showstopping flash of leather with a minute left and Chiefs goalie Campbell Arnold on the bench to rob Filip Kral, who unleashed a bullet on the fly from the top of the circle.
“That’s the one you always dream of making,” said Gauthier. “Last minute of the game, the team is up by one. You catch the pick and give a bit of flair and all the fans stand up.”
The hard luck continued Friday for Ethan Browne, the 19-year-old skilled Cougar centreman from Sherwood Park, Alta. Browne just returned to action after missing three games with a lower-body injury he suffered Oct. 10 in a game against Kelowna and was playing well, drawing an assist on Upper’s goal, when he came out on the losing end of a head-on-head open-ice collision with Chiefs centre Bear Hughes about five minutes into the second period. Both players fell to the ice but a woozy Browne took the brunt of the impact and had trouble getting to the Cougar bench. He did not return.
Ilijah Colina returned to the Cougar lineup for his first game since Jan. 27. Colina started the game at centre on a line with Josh Maser and Reid Perepeluk and finished the game playing with Upper and Kofer. Colina came close to his first point of the season when he spun a backhand pass to Upper, all alone in front of the Chiefs’ net late in the second period, but Upper’s quick shot sailed high on him.
The Cougars called up 17-year-old goalie Jordan Fairlie from the Cariboo Cougars major midget team to fill in as Gauthier’s backup with Tyler Brennan still out with a concussion he suffered 10 days ago in practice. Brennan will not dress for Saturday’s rematch against the Chiefs at CN Centre (7 p.m.) start.
Friday WHL game summary
Chiefs 1 at Cougars 2
First Period
1. Prince George, Toman 2 (Upper, Koffer) 4:48
2. Prince George, Upper 3 (Koffer, Browne) 11:46
Penalty – Crossley PG (tripping) 16:24.
Second Period
3. Spokane, Atchison 1 (Toporowski) 9:26
Penalties – Hughes Spo (checking from behind) 5:45.
Third Period
No scoring.
Penalties – Samson PG (cross-checking) 5:01, Perepeluk PG (interference) 10:17.
Shots on goal by
Spokane 8 17 15 -38
Prince George14 4 6 -24
Goal – Spokane, Arnold (L,2-3-0); Prince George, Gauthier (W,2-5-0).
Referees – Stephen Campbell, Mike Langin; Linsesmen – Nick Albinati, Mason Stewart.
Attendance – 1,984.
Three stars – 1. Taylor Gauthier, PG; 2. Filip Koffer, PG; 3. Tyson Upper, PG.
