The Prince George Cougars made it interesting, but ultimately fell 4-2 to the Everett Silvertips Sunday night.
This was the first time all season the Cougars have lost consecutive games.
The Silvertips jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two periods, courtesy of a pair of goals from Ben Hemmerling and one from Julius Miettinen.
Hemmerling’s first came just 1:23 into the game, getting the 5,177 fans at the Angel of the Winds Arena into the game early.
Big Ben is on the board!@WHLsilvertips | @GoldenKnights pic.twitter.com/iIqvM7rL3Z
— The WHL (@TheWHL) January 8, 2024
In the third, Zac Funk brought the Cougars to life, scoring his 42nd of the season on the powerplay.
The comeback bid continued with Hudson Thornton scoring his 10th of the season, which put him past Dustin Byfugelin into sole possession of most goals all-time by a Cougars defenceman with 48.
Austin Roest put the game on ice with an empty-netter.
“Definitely didn’t start on time tonight and it cost us in the long run,” said Cougars Assistant Coach Carter Rigby on the post-game show on 94.3 the Goat.
“It’s nice to see some pushback in the third for sure, and definitely carried momentum in the play in that last 20, but again, not starting on time with our group.”
Ty Young got the start in net for the Cougars, making 32 saves on 35 shots.
“He gave us a chance and it could’ve been a lot more than three through 40,” Rigby said.
The Silvertips outshot the Cougars 36-22.
The (28-12-0-0) Cougars are on top of the WHL’s Western conference standings.
The full WHL standings can be found here.
Prince George went 3-2 on a 5-game road trip.
The Cougars will be back on home ice Friday for a weekend double-header with the Kelowna Rockets.
The full Cougars schedule can be found here.