Facing their first true test of the 2024 WHL Playoffs, the Prince George Cougars passed with flying colours.

A three-goal second period from Bauer Dumanski, Hudson Thornton and Ondrej Becher paced the Cougars to a dominant 5-0 victory over the Portland Winterhawks in front of another standing-room only crowd of 6, 011 fans at CN Centre.

Prince George leads the best-of-seven Western Conference Final 1-0.

The Cougars dictated the terms of the series opener less than two minutes into the opening period.

An errant pass by Nate Danielson outside the Winterhawks blueline led to a quick transition play by Riley Heidt who found Terik Parascak.

The 17-year-old made no mistake as his quick slap shot blew past the glove of Portland goaltender Jan Spunar giving the hosts a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.

The Cougars transition game proved lethal once again in the middle period as a 3-on-2 rush lead by Zac Funk, found a streaking Dumanski as his quick wrister bleat the glove hand of Spunar.

Less than six minutes later, Thornton activated his offensive instinct from inside the Winterhawks blueline as his wrist shot fluttered off a pair of the shoulder of Spunar sending the crowd into another frenzy.

“It feels good to come out like that. When you hear the crowd roaring like that right before O’Canada it is pretty easy to play a good game like that. Game One’s are very important when setting the tone for the series and our group did that tonight – it is the easiest game so far in my opinion but it only gets harder from here as they will re-group and give us a good game tomorrow,” added Thornton post-game.

.@PGCougars blueliner Hudson Thornton speaks with the media after scoring once in a 5-0 victory over @pdxwinterhawks to kick off @TheWHL Western Conference Final #cityofpg #PrinceGeorge #northernbc #sports #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/923huoQFQT

— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) April 27, 2024

Prior to the intermission, Koehn Ziemmer sprung Becher on a 2-on-2 rush inside the Portland blueline – the 19-year-old import from Czechia drove to the middle of the ice and flicked a wrist shot past Spunar for a commanding 4-0 edge.

Cougars head coach and general manager Mark Lamb told the media post-game the score line wasn’t indicative of the play and that a big push is anticipated by the Winterhawks for Game Two.

“When you get to the final four, there are only four teams left in the league and it’s usually the best teams – you are going to get some good hockey. I was really happy with how we handled ourselves against a high-powered team we haven not seen in a while, we stuck to our game plan, the guys bought in and it was a really strong game.”

“Nothing really struck me at all with their team. They have four really good lines with six defence and a good goaltender – nothing surprised me, but I was happy with how we played against them.”

PART 1: @PGCougars head coach Mark Lamb on their 5-0 Game One victory over the @pdxwinterhawks to kick off the @TheWHL Western Conference Final #cityofpg #PrinceGeorge #northernbc #sports #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Ze2wBPLWUV

— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) April 27, 2024

Ziemmer added the exclamation point on the power-play – off a strong feed from Carlin Dezainde, the 19-year-old from Mayerthorpe, Alberta found himself alone in front and pounced on his golden opportunity.

The Cougars outshot the Winterhawks 35-32. Portland went 0-for-1 while PG was 1-for-3.

Josh Ravensbergen continued his stellar play in the PG crease turning aside 33 Portland attempts, improving to 8-0-0 this postseason all while netting his third playoff shutout to along with the six others he complied in the regular season.

The 17-year-old from North Vancouver, was named the game's first star and now sits with a 1.62 goals against average and .941 save percentage.

Thornton continues to marvel over Ravensbergen's calm demeanor in the crease at this critical juncture of the season.

“You don’t really explain it but it is a credit to him as he works so hard and is one of the hardest working guys I know – he is always trying to get better and is doing all the little things that are paying off for him and he deserves everything he is getting. He has been our back bone this season and we are lucky to have him.”

Thornton also talks about Josh Ravensbergen's third shutout of the playoffs and not taking @pdxwinterhawks lightly heading into Game 2 Saturday night @PGCougars #cityofpg #PrinceGeorge #northernbc #WHLPlayoffs #sports pic.twitter.com/yrodkHglMz

— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) April 27, 2024

Spunar allowed four goals on 28 shots in defeat.

It was a rare off night at the office for Portland as it was their first defeat of the 2024 postseason after running the table in the first two rounds against the Everett Silvertips and Victoria Royals.

Overage forward Jack O’Brien said it was tough sledding against a Cougars team that did a good job suffocating them every time they reached the PG blueline.

“This time of the year the games are going to be tough. You have to fight for every inch – I do not think it was a 5-0 game. We are going to look at the positives and learn from our mistakes tonight.”

“Time and space is limited out there. I think we need to play a little bit simpler and chip the puck in. I think we will be in a good spot if we do that tomorrow night.”

.@pdxwinterhawks overage forward Jack O'Brien chats with the media after falling 5-0 to @PGCougars in Game 1 of @TheWHL Western Conference Final #cityofpg #PrinceGeorge #northernbc #sports #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/mRH5LBFcbc

— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) April 27, 2024

Winterhawks bench boss Mike Johnston grew visibly frustrated with the rabid Cougar fans getting into a verbal jousting match with a couple of them directly behind the Portland bench, which led to an ejection.

Johnston addressed the fans behavior earlier in the game, but the issue didn’t get resolved until much later.

“During the game there was no security behind our bench and I was asking for security and for some reason it was not provided. The fans kept walking over from the stands and leaning over the bench from the glass and the referee finally took charge of it.”

As for the game, Johnston believes both teams did a good job of clogging up the offensive zones but it was the Cougars transition game that proved advantageous.

“I thought PG got a couple of good looks off the rush. We need to be better there, but I thought the offensive zone play saw both teams shut themselves down at times, there was not a lot of possession time in the offensive zone.”

.@pdxwinterhawks bench boss Mike Johnston chats with the media after 5-0 loss to @pgcougars in Game 1 of Western Conference Final @TheWHL #cityofpg #PrinceGeorge #northernbc #sports #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/LVQOExrHPm

— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) April 27, 2024

“The second chances are the key thing, I thought we had some good looks and good shots – there were a few rebounds to be had but their defenceman did a good job of getting sticks in and boxing us out. We need to converge on those rebounds.”

In the Eastern Conference Final, Brayden Yager’s eighth of the post season led the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Saskatoon Blades.

Moose Jaw battled back from a 2-0 deficit to stun the top-seeded Blades in front of 8,973 fans at Sasktel Centre.

The Warriors lead the series 1-0 with Game Two also set for Saturday.

Game Two is set for tomorrow (Saturday) at 6pm from CN Centre.

THE BERGER. 8 WINS, 3 SHUTOUTS. pic.twitter.com/4L1y7zPVj5

— xy - Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) April 27, 2024

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Public illicit drug use will soon be banned in the province, and police will be given more power to enforce the ban.

This ban includes within hospitals, on transit, and at parks and beaches.

“Keeping people safe is our highest priority. While we are caring and compassionate for those struggling with addiction, we do not accept street disorder that makes communities feel unsafe,” said Premier David Eby. “We’re taking action to make sure police have the tools they need to ensure safe and comfortable communities for everyone as we expand treatment options so people can stay alive and get better.”

The province and federal government are collaborating to make changes to "the legality of possessing drugs in B.C.," which will allow police to enforce against public drug use.

Officers will have the option to make someone using drugs in public leave the space, take the drugs, or arrest the person if necessary.

“Our communities are facing big challenges. People are dying from deadly street drugs and we see the issues with public use and disorder on our streets,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “As we continue to go after the gangs and organized criminals who are making and trafficking toxic drugs, we’re taking action now to make it illegal to use drugs in public spaces, and to expand access to treatment to help people who need it most.”

The province was clear that this change is not the recriminalization of drug possession in a private residence, legal shelter, or overdose prevention site.

People who are addicted will also have expanded access to treatment, the province said they will be:

• increasing the availability and accessibility of opioid-agonist treatment (OAT), a
  medication-assisted treatment for people who have an opioid-use disorder, by
  implementing a provincewide virtual system;
• integrating addictions services with health care, housing and related services; and
• working with experts to develop methods to track prescribed alternatives with the aim of
  identifying and preventing diversion.

“People across the country are dying from poisoned drugs and B.C. is no exception,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “Addiction is a health-care issue, not a criminal one, and we’re going to keep doing everything we can to save lives and connect people to treatment.”

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The Indigenous Sports Gallery at the BC Sports Hall of Fame in Vancouver can now be experienced by fans throughout the Province and around the world without ever having to leave their homes.

Earlier this month they opened the door to the world’s first fully immersive digital Indigenous Sports Gallery.

Project Lead Shelby McCannel said they really wanted people to learn more about Indigenous sport and to see the amazing contributions Indigenous athletes have made.

“Over the last two to three years we’ve been in the process of figuring out what the digital Indigenous Sport Gallery looks like and within the last year it’s been our fully development process. Going through our physical gallery and coming up with the ideas of what we wanted to include in this space and how best to make this as accessible as possible. Not everyone has the same learning styles or access to high speed internet so we wanted to make sure that every Canadian could be able to interact with this content online.”

A key feature includes a 360-degree virtual tour of the gallery with additional content not found in the physical gallery like video profiles of 14 featured athletes and honoured members as well as 3D interactive artifacts.

McCannel said more than 40 past and active Indigenous are featured in the Gallery including Anahim Lake’s Carey Price.

“Carey is one of our featured athletes in our hockey section of our gallery so we do talk about him growing up and learning how to skate on a frozen lake behind his home and how he ended up making it to the NHL playing with the Montreal Canadiens.” McCannel said, “ We do have a few artifacts on display from him, a jersey, sticks and pads, but through the digital Indigenous Sport Gallery, we actually digitized one of his items, his goalie mask so fans on the site will be able to fully interact with that behind the glass feeling and interact digitally with the item. Turn it around, see the back, see the top, and get a different view than what you would typically be able to see in our physical space.”

The Indigenous Sports Gallery opened in 2018 at the BC Sports Hall Hall of Fame and is the largest known permanent gallery in the world containing more 1,500 square feet of exhibit space celebrating the rich history and contributions to sport by First Nations and Metis athletes, teams, coaches, builders and volunteers.

In 2019 it won Best New Exhibit in the world by the International Sports Heritage Association.

-Files by Pat Matthews, My Cariboo Now

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A highly anticipated matchup between two teams separated by a single point in the WHL regular season has a clash of the titans' type feel to it.

The Prince George Cougars welcome the Portland Winterhawks to CN Centre for Games One and Two of their Western Conference Final, which officially lifts the curtain tomorrow (Friday).

Both teams are on a collision course for conference supremacy after a pair of series wins in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Prince George dispatched the Spokane Chiefs in a four-game sweep before gobbling up the Kelowna Rockets in five.

The Winterhawks have had a similar path, sweeping the Victoria Royals and Everett Silvertips.

Both teams split the four-game series in the regular season winning twice each.

Cougars captain Hudson Thornton believes their respective organizations are mirror images of each other, playing a high up-tempo game with an emphasis on the transition game.

“It complements our group well. We are never out of a game no matter what the score is – we can always come back, put the puck in the net and, find a way to create offense but we are also a team that defends really well so that is going to be something that will be important in this series too.”

Portland has 10 players remaining from its 2022 playoff roster that swept the Cougars in four games.

The returning faces include scoring duo Gabe Klassen and James Stefan along with veteran forwards Marcus Nyguen, Jack O’Brien, Kyle Zakreski, and Kyle Chyzowski.

On the blueline, the Winterhawks still have Josh Mori, Ryder Thompson along with Florida Panthers draft pick Marek Alscher and San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni.

PG has eight returning faces from that series including Thornton, Koehn Ziemmer, Riley Heidt, Carlin Dezainde, Bauer Dumanski, Viliam Kmec, Keaton Dowhaniuk and, Ty Young.

After a 5-2 Winterhawks win in Game One of that series, all of their remaining victories were by two goals or fewer.

Thornton says that the initial playoff experience was a crucial moment in the team’s sudden ascension to WHL prominence.

“You learn a lot from something like that – especially the guys that were a part of it. When you look at it obviously, we got swept but when you look at the games, we weren’t that far away from them – two of them were one-goal games and we gave it our best effort and it’s going to be important for us to spread the message. It is in the back of our heads that we want to get a little bit of revenge on them.”

With three games in four nights to begin the series with a 15-hour bus ride sandwiched in between, Thornton is confident in the team’s ability to handle the early grind.

“If we can walk away winning two games heading into there that is ideal but we will take it one day at a time. I think that is a bit of an advantage for us where we are used to travelling with long bus rides and playing the next day – when it comes down to that there are no excuses. If we were playing a three-in-three you have to be ready to play so we will be ready to go.”

Going into the best-of-seven, Prince George also has a more compatible roster to match the high-scoring Winterhawks.

67-goal scorer Zac Funk has seven goals and eight assists so far this postseason while Heidt, who has 16 points continues to be the primary set-up man with 13 helpers.

Terik Parascak and Ondrej Becher have tallied 12 points each up to this point while is over a point-per-game pace on the back end with 10 points in nine games.

Koehn Ziemmer, who is still fresh off a major injury, has five points in nine contests while blueliners Kmec and Dowhaniuk have lit the lamp three times each.

Trade deadline acquisition Borya Valis is tied for second on the Cats in playoff goals with five.

For the Winterhawks, Cagnoni, Carter Southeran and, Tyson Jugnauth are all point-per-game performers on the backend.

Detroit Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson, who was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings has quietly amassed 10 points in eight games.

For as much individual talent as the series possesses, it will likely come down to goaltending.

Cougars rookie netminder Josh Ravensbergen continues to be stellar in between the pipes supporting a 7-0-0 record with 1.85 goals against average and a .931 save percentage.

Vancouver Canucks signed prospect Ty Young is 1-1 with a 2.02 GAA and a .934 save percentage.

Portland will counter with Jan Spunar who has a sparkling 8-0-0 mark with 1.94 goals against average and .931 save percentage.

Puck drop for Game One on Friday is at 7pm while Saturday is a 6pm start.

The series will then shift to Portland for Games Three through Five starting on Monday.

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Officials with the District of Chetwynd says Highway 97 has re-opened to single-lane alternating traffic after being shut down last night (Wednesday) due to the Wildmare Creek wildfire.

The blaze sits at 76-hectares and is out of control and is suspected to be human-caused.

Fire Information Officer, Sharon Nickel told MyPGNow.com some rain during the overnight and early morning has assisted suppression efforts - 20 firefighters and helicopters who will be in charge of bucketing will be on site today (Thursday).

"With the active suppression that is going on, we want to make sure there is no immediate  threat to public life and safety and that includes the safety of our responders."

She added the Peace Region much like the entire Prince George Fire Centre is suffering from drought-like conditions.

"We are getting into the typical time of year where we see grass fires in the Peace. Also important to note in the first week of May is when we had the Teare Creek Wildfire near McBride and that was a significant fire as well."

UPDATE: The #Evacuation Order for the Pine River area due to the Wildmare Creek wildfire has been DOWNGRADED to an Evacuation Alert. Residents may return home, but must remain ready to leave on short notice. The BC Emergency Alert issued by @prrdistrict has been cancelled. More… https://t.co/yBHiEQ0CUg

— Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) April 25, 2024

In addition, the Peace River Regional District rescinded its Evacuation Order west of Bisset Creek, south of Pine River and east to Wildmare Creek is still in place according to the Peace River Regional District.

It has now been downgraded to an alert.

The Evacuation Alert for other areas including the Fernando Subdivision and Highway 97 south has been cancelled.

UPDATE: the @prrdistrict has RESCINDED an #Evacuation Alert for the Pine River area due to the Wildmare Creek wildfire. The threat to life & safety has passed. More info: https://t.co/C5KivGYCBU #BCWildfire #Chetwynd #BCHwy97 https://t.co/IydbnAnsdy

— Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) April 25, 2024

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The BC SPCA is stretching ‘Adopt-a-Shelter-Pet-Day’ into a near two week event.

Anyone who adopts a pet from the SPCA between today (April 25) and May 5th will see half of their adoption fees waived.

On top of that, each shelter across the province will be holding an open house on Saturday (April 27).

“The open houses are an opportunity for the public to learn more about what the BC SPCA does and see all of the ways we care for animals in our community,” says Adrienne McBride, the BC SPCA’s Senior Director of Community Animal Centres. “It also gives us a chance to shine a light on some of the amazing animals in our centres who have been patiently waiting for their forever home.”

Last month, more than 200 cats were surrendered to the SPCA from a single property in Houston.

Some of those cats are ready for adoption in time for this event.

You can find out more about adopting a pet through the SPCA here.

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- Files from Zachary Barrowcliff, My Cariboo Now

A cyclist is making the trek from Prince George to Vancouver in the name of the BC Cancer Foundation.

Mark Camps’ journey began in the Northern Capital on Sunday, April 21st.

Camps said he doesn’t just have one person in mind when he’s riding.

“There’s been parents of good friends, there’s been personal relatives of mine, very good neighbours at home,” he told Vista Radio. “It’s not specifically for one individual, but it’s kind of for everybody that’s had a bit of a struggle.”

From Prince George, he’s gone south down Highway 97 and made his way to Clinton yesterday (April 24).

Next up: Lillooet, Pemberton, and finally Vancouver by Friday.

Donations can be made on Camp’s personal fundraising page on the BC Cancer Foundation’s website.

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The BC Government says social media giants Meta, Snap, TikTok and, X have agreed to work collaboratively with the province on the development of Bill 12, its public harms legislation, and will be part of BC’s Online Safety Action Table.

The province says it will place Bill 12 on hold while discussions take place on how to create safe, empowering experiences online

In a news release, the province says it’s an opportunity to bring experts, parents, technology companies and government together to find new ways of helping young people stay safe online and be better protected from online harms.

The province added Meta has also committed to working with BC’s emergency management organization to help amplify official information for people in emergency situations like wildfires.

In March, Premier David Eby introduced legislation allowing it to sue corporations for the costs of their actions.

As an example, Eby stated young people are suffering from anxiety, depression and, eating disorders because of the pressures of constant on-line material.

In January, the province restricted the use of cell phones in schools.

Eby mentioned the provincial government will work with all school districts to ensure polices are in place by the 2024-25 academic year.

The province also launched services to remove images from the internet and pursue online predators as well as introduce legislation to hold social media giants such as Facebook and Instagram to account for the harms they have caused.

Much of these changes come after 12-year-old Carson Cleland of Prince George took his own life in the fall after falling prey to online sextortion.

Eby hinted at sweeping changes during an exclusive January interview with MyPGNow.com.

In addition, a man in Nigeria was also arrested and charged in connection with the death of a Surrey youth.

Police stated the boy’s “sudden death” in February of 2023 was linked to being a victim of what they’re calling on-line “financial sextortion.”

The official opposition noted the NDP’s decision to retract Bill 12 only comes after significant public backlash.

BC United stated the business community and concerned citizens across the province forced the NDP to acknowledge the flaws in the legislation.

- with files from My Kootenay Now staff

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Update: Thursday, 11:50 am:

The Wildmare Creek wildfire evacuation order and alert have been dropped and people may return home.

https://twitter.com/EmergencyInfoBC/status/1783564867057729693

Original story: Wednesday, 10:30 pm

A 50-hectare wildfire near Chetwynd has resulted in an Evacuation Order for the Peace River Regional District.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, the blaze is considered out of control and is suspected to be human-caused.

The Order is in place for the following areas:

• Directly West of Bisset Creek
• South to Pine River
• East to Wildmare Creek

All evacuated residents are asked to head to the Reception Centre at the District of Chetwynd Municipal Office located on 5400 Hospital Road.

Due to fire operations in the area, Highway 97 is currently closed. In addition, the BC Wildfire Service crews continue to respond with aviation support.

[caption id="attachment_196226" align="alignright" width="300"] Evacuation Alert Map issued by Peace River Regional District.[/caption]

In addition, an Evacuation Alert has been issued for areas including:

• The intersection Fernando Subdivision and Hwy 97S continuing northwest for 1 Km.
• From this point, continue southwest to Wildmare Creek
• Following Wildmare Creek southeast to the Pine River
• Continuing along the Pine River northeast for 2 km
• Continue north to the railroad tracks.
• Follow the railroad tracks east for 1 Km.
• From there, continue north for .17 Km.
• Continue east for .13 Km.
• From this point, northwest to the intersection of Fernando Subdivision and Hwy 97S.

Residents are asked to pack essential items such as government-issued ID, medications, eyeglasses, cell phone & charger and, if time and space permits, keepsakes for quick departure.

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It's been a busy start to 2024 for both the Prince George RCMP and the North District Major Crimes Unit.

Police confirmed six homicides have been recorded in the Prince George area and we are not even at the end of April.

The latest homicide investigation was launched on Friday after Edward Michael Milne of PG was identified as the victim of the human remains case near the Bowron River, northwest of Purden Lake.

PG's first murder occurred on January 5th after an early-morning shooting occurred along the 500-block of Ottawa Street. Initial reports from police noted that a man was suffering from a serious gunshot wound but passed away less than a month later.

Roughly a month later, the case was upgraded from an attempted murder investigation to a second-degree murder after Fabian James Charlie was slapped with the offence - at last report, he remains in custody.

The northern capital's second homicide occurred February 13th on the 800-block of Victoria Street. Investigators received a report of shots fired at the location just after 11 pm.

When police officers arrived, they located the single male victim deceased from his injuries.

The investigation is ongoing.

Cpl. Jennifer Cooper of the Prince George detachment told MyPGNow.com most of the files have been centered around the gang and drug files but the public should remain vigilant of their surroundings.

"Most of what we are seeing is targeted. However, it does bring more violence into our city and, we have not had much spillover into everyday life as of yet and we are working diligently at the detachment to make sure that does not happen."

"It's a continuing trend we are working diligently to try and tackle from multiple angles within the detachment. Our violent crime numbers are up with much of it centred around organized crime and the illicit drug trade," mentioned Cooper.

She added while the majority of the public is not involved in drug and gang activity, the fact it continues to fester does raise some concerns.

"Should you be more concerned if you are living a lifestyle that brings you into contact with organized crime and the illicit drug trade? Likely, that is where we are seeing a lot of our violence and that area might encounter more violence - however, with it being in our city, it is concerning because that does bring it closer to citizens who are not involved."

March was another tough month for violent crime.

The BC RCMP’s North District Major Crime Unit was deployed to a suspicious death near Prince George where they located a deceased person was located on the Salmon River Forest Service Road.

Frontline officers attended the scene and located the victim just off the roadway.

The file was later ruled a homicide.

Roughly 24 hours later (March 11th), PG Mounties were called to another suspicious death - this time it was a deceased woman who was found on the 2000 block of Quince Street.

This too was upgraded to a murder according to Cpl. Cooper.

Lastly, a teenage boy was killed during the early morning hours of March 28th.

According to the Prince George RCMP, police responded to a reported stabbing on the 1600 block of Pine Street.

The 17-year-old youth was found and taken to the hospital but did not survive. Three youth suspects were arrested soon after the call was made, the investigation is ongoing.

Upon return from spring break, School District 57 offered counselling services following the PGSS student's death. Resources were also made available at Harwin Elementary and Duchess Park where the male victim also attended.

Prince George recorded eight murders in all of 2023.

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