Make it 40 for Funk.
PG Cougars forward Zac Funk notched his sixth hat-trick of the season, lifting the Cats to a 6-2 win over the Wenatchee Wild at the Town Toyota Center.
New year, same Zac. @PGCougars | #WHLHatTricks pic.twitter.com/iak1JQNXXv
— The WHL (@TheWHL) January 4, 2024
December’s WHL Player of the Month Riley Heidt opened the scoring for the Cougars, his first of two goals on the night.
The December WHL player of the month is already looking like the January WHL player of the month.#mnwild @mnwild https://t.co/W519sh8lsP pic.twitter.com/AX3zrIFzpN
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) January 4, 2024
Oren Shtrom scored shortly after, with newly acquired Borya Valis picking up the assist, his first point as a PG Cougar.
(nevermind the pxp audio, this is a replay.)
New team, same offensive weapon! Borya Valis has his first point as a Cougar and extends his point streak to 11 games! https://t.co/phV6YXS3cs pic.twitter.com/HrWqdvBAMo
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) January 4, 2024
Briley wood and Graham Sward scored for the Wild.
“I think we got off to a good start, got a 2-0 lead and then I think we felt like it was going to be easier than it turned out to be,” said Associate Coach Jim Playfair on last night’s post-game show on 94.3 The Goat.
“It’s a good lesson for our group to continue to learn at this time of year, sometimes you got to play without the score as your focal point. You got to do things right, you have to make winning plays, winning habits, and build an identity to play the right way all the time.”
Josh Ravensbergen got the start between the pipes for the Cougars, making 26 saves on 28 shots.
Daniel Hauser started in net for the Wild, but exited the game after the first period with Daniel Gee coming in.
With the win, the Cougars (27-10-0-0) leapfrogged the Saskatoon Blades (25-8-2-1), and are on top of the WHL standings.
The full WHL standings can be found here.
The Cougars will continue their five-game road trip on Friday, with a stop at the accesso ShoWare Centre to take on the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The full Cougars Schedule can be found here.
–Â Files from Darin Bain, My PG Now