Sports Archives - My Nechako Valley Now https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/news/sports/ Sun, 28 Apr 2024 07:02:26 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 Cougars smothered by Portland in game two loss https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/39257/featured/cougars-smothered-by-portland-in-game-two-loss/ Sun, 28 Apr 2024 07:02:26 +0000 https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/?p=39257

It's now a best of five headed to Portland.

The Prince George Cougars dropped game 2 of the Western Conference Final 5-3 to the Winterhawks, the series is tied at a game apiece.

The Winterhawks controlled the game from the start, stifling the Cougars at every turn.

"We knew they were going to come out tonight, that's what they're going to do, they're down 1-0, they didn't want to go down 2-0, they're a good hockey team, we just didn't react to it," said Cougars Head Coach and GM Mark Lamb.

"We knew that was going to happen, we just couldn't sustain anything."

"I thought our breakouts were cleaner, I thought our forecheck, we were on them a little bit harder than we were last night, those were two key areas we wanted to focus on going into the game," said Winterhawks Head Coach and GM Mike Johnston.

"I really liked how or first period was, I thought we came out, we had the shot advantage, we had the chance advantage, and I think that was important, it gave us a lot of confidence in our game."

Just past the midway point, Zac Funk found an opening behind the Winterhawks defence, and opened the scoring on a breakaway, and opened the floodgates.

Less than 30 seconds after Funk sent the 6,016 CN Centre into a frenzy, Kyle Chyzowski put Portland on the board, and Jack O'Brien put them ahead 17 seconds after.

63 seconds after O'Brien's goal, Borya Valis slid the puck past Jan Spunar to tie the game at two.

Hoping for a spark from his team, Lamb shuffled his lines, reuniting Riley Heidt and Koehn Ziemmer, and pairing them with Funk.

"When things aren't working, you switch things up, and it kind of worked for a while, but that's the way the game was from the start, one line would be alright for one shift, and then the next line wouldn't," Lamb said.

"Usually when you switch things around, it looked like it was going to work, and then you get that momentum and it just rolls over, but it didn't happen tonight."

The Winterhawks sealed their win with a trio of goals from James Stefan, Diego Buttazoni and an empty-netter from Marcus Nguyen.

"I thought in the third period our team had a lot of confidence," Johnston said.

"We knew that we were going to get our chances, we get that goal and then I thought we just locked it down from there, we really didn't give them anything until the last 20 seconds or so."

Oren Shtrom scored for the Cougars in the dying seconds of the game.

The series now shifts to Portland for games three, four and five.

Game three will be played Monday night.

Over in game two of the Eastern Conference Final, the Saskatoon Blades flipped the script on the Moose Jaw Warriors, picking up the 3-2 overtime win.

Moose Jaw one game one 4-3 in overtime.

The post Cougars smothered by Portland in game two loss appeared first on My Nechako Valley Now.

]]> Cougars pounce early and often to blank Winterhawks https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/39230/featured/cougars-pounce-early-and-often-to-blank-winterhawks/ Sat, 27 Apr 2024 06:22:34 +0000 https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/?p=39230

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.

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

“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 post Cougars pounce early and often to blank Winterhawks appeared first on My Nechako Valley Now.

]]> Cougars, Winterhawks on collision course to become Western Conference Champions https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/39217/news/cougars-winterhawks-on-collision-course-to-become-western-conference-champions/ Thu, 25 Apr 2024 22:07:04 +0000 https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/?p=39217

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.

The post Cougars, Winterhawks on collision course to become Western Conference Champions appeared first on My Nechako Valley Now.

]]> LISTEN: Hartley’s Cat Scan with Nick Marek – April 24th, 2024 https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/39192/news/listen-hartleys-cat-scan-with-nick-marek-april-24th-2024/ Wed, 24 Apr 2024 23:12:52 +0000 https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/?p=39192

Welcome to Hartley's Cat Scan!

This is a weekly podcast featuring the 'who's who' of the Prince George Cougars.

[caption id="attachment_196204" align="alignright" width="300"] The voice of the Portland Winterhawks Nick Marek.[/caption]

Hartley's guest this week is Portland Winterhawks Director Broadcasting and Media Relations Nick Marek.

During the episode, he discussed several topics including:

  • Reflecting on the two January matchups in Prince George; the tone being set for the Western Conference Final on Friday
  • The lack of WHL championships for the Winterhawks in recent years but plenty of playoff experience
  • Defeating a depleted Everett team; preparing for a high-pressure first two games against the Cougars
  • Portland goalie Jan Spunar on being the potential X-Factor in the series
  • Balanced scoring lineup; impact of Detroit Red Wings first-rounder Nate Danielson
  • His relationship with Mike Johnston; dealing with Veterans Memorial Coliseum availability

You can also find this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, and TuneIn.

LISTEN:

[audio mp3="https://www.myprincegeorgenow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Cat-Scan-with-Nick-Marek-.mp3"][/audio]

The post LISTEN: Hartley’s Cat Scan with Nick Marek – April 24th, 2024 appeared first on My Nechako Valley Now.

]]> LISTEN: Hartley’s Cat Scan with Mark Lamb – April 22nd, 2024 https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/39164/news/listen-hartleys-cat-scan-with-mark-lamb-april-22nd-2024/ Mon, 22 Apr 2024 23:19:35 +0000 https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/?p=39164

Welcome to Hartley's Cat Scan!

This is a weekly podcast featuring the 'who's who' of the Prince George Cougars.

[caption id="attachment_107801" align="alignright" width="300"] Hartley Miller talks with Cougars GM/Head Coach Mark Lamb. (Photo supplied by Brendan Pawliw, MyPGNow.com staff)[/caption]

Hartley's guest this week is Cougars head coach and general manager Mark Lamb.

During the episode, he discussed several topics including:

  • Thoughts on making the final four; wrap up of Kelowna series
  • Portland sweeping Everett; approach to preparing for Winterhawks
  • Goalie matchup and likely hood both Ty Young and Josh Ravensbergen seeing action
  • Fan support on the road
  • Value of home ice advantage
  • Series schedule, how both teams mirror one another

You can also find this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, and TuneIn.

LISTEN:

[audio mp3="https://www.myprincegeorgenow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Cat-Scan-with-Mark-Lamb-April-22-.mp3"][/audio]

The post LISTEN: Hartley’s Cat Scan with Mark Lamb – April 22nd, 2024 appeared first on My Nechako Valley Now.

]]> We’ve got the Funk: Cougars second period barrage sends Kelowna packing https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/39135/featured/weve-got-the-funk-cougars-second-period-barrage-sends-kelowna-packing/ Sat, 20 Apr 2024 05:50:54 +0000 https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/?p=39135

Just when it looked like the Prince George Cougars were on the ropes, Mark Lamb settled down the troops and flicked the switch.

A five-goal explosion in the second period paced the Cougars to a 6-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets in front of another standing room only crowd of 6,014 fans at CN Centre Friday night.

“It was a tough series all around, it wasn’t easy they challenged us in Game 3 and we got the win there and we didn’t get the win in Game 4. It was a big test coming home and I think we responded very well. They got a couple of quick ones on us in the second.”

“It was a smart choice by our coach in the second to call the time out to regroup, say some words and turned it on right after,” said Heidt to MyPGNow.com post game.

PG clinches the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals 4-1.

After giving up two goals in 15 seconds to Rockets forward Tij Iginla and Andrew Cristall, Jett Lajoie turned the tide for the Cats, re-directing a Chase Pauls point shot by Jari Kykkanen.

“That is exactly what you out ask out of that line. For them to go out there and do that is massive and that was the game right there to see them go out and get a hard working goal is huge to see and it got Funker going the next shift,” added Heidt.

The offensive floodgates continued to open as Zac Funk’s perfectly-timed re-direct off a strong blast from Viliam Kmec changed direction and fooled Kykkanen.

“That is my job here and that is what I want to do. Guys are helping me out there as it is pretty easy to play with Bechs and Vally – we have a lot of line chemistry so they make it pretty easy on me,” said Funk postgame.

Three minutes later, Riley Heidt accepted a soft chip pass from Aiden Foster and did an around-the-world spin-o-rama that once again leaked through the Kelowna netminder.

“Yeah, we were laughing about that. It was funny but it all started with our forecheck and that is how we got that goal,” said Heidt.

The Minnesota Wild top prospect banged home another off a rebound at the side of the Rockets net past a sprawled out Kykkanen, who made the initial point blank save on Carlin Dezainde.

Funk completed the middle period barrage by whacking away at a loose puck following a cross-ice feed giving the Cougars a 6-2 edge after 40 minutes.

The 20-year-old from Coldstream BC added a single towards the end of the first period to round out his hat-trick after he had a goal called back due to a high-stick.

Gabriel Szturc scored in the third capitalizing on a sharp angle shot that beat Josh Ravensbergen.

Once the final buzzer sounded, PG outshot the Rockets 39-31. The Cougars went 2-for-3 on the powerplay while Kelowna failed to score on both opportunities.

Ravensbergen improved his playoff record to 7-0 after making 28 saves. Kykkanen stopped 33 opposition shots in defeat.

PG advances to its first Western Conference Final since 2007 and will play the Portland Winterhawks who swept their semi-final series Friday night after a 5-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips.

Games One and Two are set for next Friday and Saturday from CN Centre.

In the East, the Conference Final has also been decided as the Saskatoon Blades will lock horns against the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Moose Jaw dispatched the Swift Current Broncos in five games while the Blades completed a four-game sweep against the Red Deer Rebels.

The post We’ve got the Funk: Cougars second period barrage sends Kelowna packing appeared first on My Nechako Valley Now.

]]> Record-breaking number of Canucks, NHL playoff bets anticipated: BCLC https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/39125/news/record-breaking-number-of-canucks-nhl-playoff-bets-anticipated-bclc/ Fri, 19 Apr 2024 19:54:39 +0000 https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/?p=39125

Northern gamblers who are feeling lucky about the Vancouver Canucks playoffs chances will have no shortage of wagering opportunities available

Vancouver takes on the Nashville Predators in round one starting on Sunday and a record-number of bets are expected to be placed through PlayNow.com according to the BC Lottery Corporation.

Spokesperson, Matt Lee told Vista Radio the Stanley Cup playoffs are always among the more popular wagering events on the sports calendar.

"Over the last couple of years, we have seen about $8.2 to $8.3 million dollars wagered on the Stanley Cup playoffs but certainly we are expecting eight-and-half to nine million this year."

"Everything from every individual game to will the player score a goal or a point and that is going to continue for four rounds throughout the playoffs and that is why we see so much popularity throughout the Stanley Cup."

The Canucks are listed as favourites to advance to the second round with the majority of PlayNow bettors predicting Vancouver to dispatch Nashville in five games.

In fact, the online gambling site has the Canucks favoured to win at least one playoff round.

In total, more than 12 Canucks-related bets are available for the first round.

Going into the playoffs, the Canucks carry the ninth-best odds to win the Stanley Cup (13.00), trailing behind heavy favourites Carolina (7.50), Colorado (8.00), Florida (8.00) and, Edmonton (8.50).

At 13-1 odds, a $10 bet on the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup will net you $130.

The post Record-breaking number of Canucks, NHL playoff bets anticipated: BCLC appeared first on My Nechako Valley Now.

]]> Rockets force Game Five after tight-checking win against Cougars https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/39097/featured/rockets-force-game-five-after-tight-checking-win-against-cougars/ Thu, 18 Apr 2024 06:25:34 +0000 https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/?p=39097

If you tuned in to the WHL livestream feed or your radio dial waiting to hear more astonishing playoff feats from the Prince George Cougars, a sense of disappointment was likely felt.

Second period goals by Max Graham and Gabriel Szturc kept the Kelowna Rockets hopes faintly alive following a 2-1 on Wednesday over the Cats in front of 3,852 fans from Prospera Place.

PG leads the best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final series 3-1.

Like round one against Spokane, Vancouver Canucks signed prospect Ty Young got the nod-in goal and turned aside 27 out of 29 Rockets shots in defeat.

His counterpart Jari Kykkanen rose to the occasion for Kelowna stopping 26 out of 27 Cougar pucks that came his direction, including a windmill glove save on sniper Zac Funk, halfway through the second period.

Graham’s second goal of the postseason came off an innocent looking transition rush where Michael Cicek played the puck into a high-traffic area, eventually going off the blade of Cougars defenseman Bauer Dumanski and through the wickets of Young.

Szturc then bookended an offensive sequence a few minutes later, concluding it with a pass from Andrew Cristall, pinpointing it past the pad of Young.

In the third, Cougars head coach and general manager Mark Lamb mashed up his forward lines and re-united Koehn Ziemmer with Riley Heidt and Borya Valis on the second line.

This meant Carlin Dezainde bumping down to play with Game Three hero Matteo Danis and Oren Shtrom.

Neither team connected on their lone power-play of the contest.

Hudson Thornton brought the Cougars to within one with 3:23 remaining after a sharp-angled shot slithered through Kykkanen and into the goal.

The loss was the first of the 2024 postseason for PG and snapped a 26–game unbeaten streak in regulation going 24–0–1–1 – their last regulation loss was on February 2nd against the Vancouver Giants.

In addition, Ondrej Becher’s 26-game point streak also ended.

The Cougars now turn the page to Game Five set for Friday in what should be another standing-room only crowd at CN Centre.

Game six, if necessary, would shift back to Kelowna on Sunday at 2:05 pm.

Tickets are available now via TicketsNorth.ca or through the box office, which opens at 11am tomorrow (Thursday).

Elsewhere, the Saskatoon Blades became the first team to advance to the third round of the WHL Playoffs after a 7-0 win over the Red Deer Rebels to complete the round two sweep.

Egor Sidarov had a monster game with three goals and two assists while goaltender Evan Gardner from Fort Saint John pitched a 26-save shutout.

A two-goal effort by Jagger Firkus paced the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 5-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos.

MJ leads the best-of-seven 3-1.

Lastly, the Portland Winterhawks, who enjoy a 3-0 series edge over the Everett Silvertips resume their semifinal on Friday from Angel of the Winds Arena.

The post Rockets force Game Five after tight-checking win against Cougars appeared first on My Nechako Valley Now.

]]> Danis overtime magic gives Cougars gutsy playoff win in Kelowna https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/39079/featured/danis-overtime-magic-gives-cougars-gusty-playoff-win-in-kelowna/ Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:06:24 +0000 https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/?p=39079

Sometimes you must roll up your sleeves and get a little greasy to win on the road.

Matteo Danis played the role of overtime hero for the Prince George Cougars Tuesday night, pushing them within one win of round three of the 2024 WHL Playoffs.

The 19-year-old re-directed a Jett Lajoie pass that whistled by Kelowna Rockets goaltender Jari Kykkanen to preserve the 4-3 victory in front of a sparse crowd of 3,787 at Prospera Place.

Despite getting dinged for five penalties in the opening 20 minutes, Hudson Thornton got PG off on the right foot as his point blast on the power-play blew past Kykkanen to secure a 1-0 lead.

Ethan Neutens spoiled a seven-plus period streak of shutout hockey for Cougars rookie netminder Josh Ravensbergen as his one time shot from just outside the face-off circle went over the shoulder of the 17-year-old to even the score.

Ravensbergen’s shutout streak last 158:44, the longest playoff franchise history.

Less than a minute later, Michael Cicek gave Kelowna their first and only lead of the series as his fierce slap shot also beat Ravensbergen on the glove side to give the hosts a 2-1 edge.

A high-sticking infraction by Rockets blueliner Kayden Sadhra-Kang put the Cougars back on the power-play and once again, the top-seed in the Western Conference made them pay.

A slick feed from Thornton led to a vicious one-time blast by Ondrej Becher who lit the lamp against Kykkanen tying the game at 2-2 after two period.

In the third, a misplay behind the Rockets between Kykkanen, Carter Kowalyk and Martin Rocak led to an easy tap-in for Borya Valis at the side of the net putting the Cougars back in front at 3-2.

“We knew they were going to throw everything at us putting all three of their big guys together on one line. It put us to the test and we got into some penalty trouble but we stuck with it.”

“We weren’t the team we wanted to be tonight but great teams find a way to win and great on Laj and Danis to take the puck and give us a huge win on the road,” said Carter Rigby, Cougars assistant coach.

Tampa Bay Lightning signed prospect Gabriel Szturc forced overtime as his slot shot from a broken play, which was created by Andrew Cristall slipped past Ravensbergen.

The Rockets outshot PG 35-33 overall but failed to score on all five awarded power-plays while the Cougars cashed in twice on four tries on the man-advantage.

“Number two (Bauer Dumanski) puts his body on the line shift in and shift out and it’s not just him but everybody out there including Bechs (Becher). It was also good to see PP working, it’s been the back bone for us for a lot of the year so it’s nice to see that after a few tough stretches. Special teams win you games and playoff series,” added Rigby.

Carlin Dezainde (PG) and Hiroki Gosjic (Kelowna) were awarded game-misconducts for what was considered to be a staged fight by referees Corey Koop and Bobby Jo Love at 13:13 of the second period.

“It’s massive. I am so excited and a little bit shaky, but I am happy for everyone and those kids to step up team morale. It was fun to watch,” added Rigby.

Becher extended his point streak to 26 games due to his two-point outing.

PG leads the best of seven semi-final series 3-0 with Game Four set for tomorrow (Wednesday) at Prospera Place. Puck drop is at 7:05.

Valis and Terik Parascak are tied for the team lead in playoff goals with five each.

In the other Western Conference semi-final, the Portland Winterhawks also enjoy a 3-0 series lead against the Everett Silvertips. Game Four of that series is set for Friday from Angel of the Winds Arena.

The post Danis overtime magic gives Cougars gutsy playoff win in Kelowna appeared first on My Nechako Valley Now.

]]> Ravensbergen, Cougars blank Rockets again to take early series stranglehold https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/39034/featured/ravensbergen-cougars-blank-rockets-again-to-take-early-series-stranglehold/ Sun, 14 Apr 2024 04:12:54 +0000 https://www.mynechakovalleynow.com/?p=39034

Total domination.

For the second night in a row, the Prince George Cougars silenced the Kelowna Rockets.

Riley Heidt, Viliam Kmec, Zac Funk, Borya Valis and Oren Shtrom drove the bus offensively for the top-seeded in the Western Conference during a 5-0 victory Saturday night in front of another standing-room only crowd at CN Centre.

PG leads the best-of-seven semi-final series 2-0 heading to the Okanagan Tuesday and Wednesday for Games Three and Four.

It didn’t take long for the host fans to turn the CN Centre into a madhouse. Off a broken play in the neutral zone, Heidt collected the puck, winded around the Kelowna net before banking a shot off goaltender Jari Kykkanen and into the net.

Kmec doubled the advantage less than two minutes later while shorthanded. Terik Parascak entered the Rockets zone and found the Slovakian blueliner who made no mistake for his third of the postseason.

PG upped the ante offensively in the second, outshooting the visitors by an 18-5 margin, swarming the Rockets at every turn with their forecheck.

The Cougars had several chances to make a statement but Kykkanen somehow turned aside several grade A chances from Heidt, Aiden Foster and Funk who rung a puck off the crossbar.

Hard work would eventually pay off as the Rockets once again got caught in transition at centre ice leading to a 2-on-1.

Funk saucered a feed to Koehn Ziemmer who was stoned by Kykkanen but the puck dribbled to the blade of Funk who had an easy tap in.

In the third, an ally-oop pass from inside the PG zone via captain Hudson Thornton, somehow eluded four Rocket players and sprung Valis on a clear-cut breakaway who made no mistake on Kykkanen.

“I saw Huddy (Thronton) who has back in our end and all of their guys were focused on the puck – when I saw Bechs (Becher) in the middle, I decided to gamble a bit and take a risk. It came to me on a breakaway,” added Valis.

A point shot from Keaton Dowhaniuk landed in the direction of Ziemmer who grinded along the boards and found Oren Shtrom who pounced on the the loose puck and jamming it past a yawning cage.

PG outshot Kelowna 44-16. In what was a chippier game, both teams went 0-for-10 on the power-play.

Josh Ravensbergen pitched his second shutout in as many games for the Cougars to kick off round too. Despite the light workload on Saturday, he was named the game’s first star.

“We have been playing really well in the defensive zone and not giving up too many chances. I think we are playing really hungry and it’s been paying off.”

“We limited them (the Rockets) to one or two good chances, the defence did a really good job in front of me to make my job easy and I am trying to help the team out.”

Playing in front of another raucous crowd, Ravensbergen told MyPGNow.com the standing room only crowds are giving them an extra boost.

“It’s a lot of fun to see all the fans and see how loud it is. It is just cool to be a part of.“

In his first five playoff starts, the 17-year-old has tallied a 1.40 goals against average and a .933 save percentage, allowing just seven goals in the process.

Elsewhere in the WHL Playoffs tonight (Saturday), the Moose Jaw Warriors exploded for six second period goals to pound the Swift Current Broncos 7-1.

Pittsburgh Penguins prospect and Warriors forward Brayden Yager notched a hat-trick. The Broncos claimed Game One on Friday 7-2.

That series is tied 1-1.

In addition, the Portland Winterhawks continued its mastery of the Everett Silvertips skating to a 6-1 victory on Saturday.

Kyle Chyzowski led the way for the hosts with a pair of goals.

Portland leads the series 2-0 with the series shifting to the Angel of the Winds Arena for three consecutive games starting on Monday.

You can listen to Cole Waldie on the road for Games Three and Four in Kelowna on 94.3 The Goat.

The post Ravensbergen, Cougars blank Rockets again to take early series stranglehold appeared first on My Nechako Valley Now.

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