The Prince George Cougars will play their last two games of the 2023-24 regular season this weekend in a home and home against the Kamloops Blazers.
The first game will be held in Kamloops on Friday, after which both teams will drive back to Prince George for the Saturday game where a sold-out crowd will likely be waiting.
“I’ll never say sellout until it is actually happening, but it is well on its way,” Taylor Dakers, the Cougars’ Director of Business, told My PG Now. “It looks great, it is exciting, everyone loves where the team is at.”
As of this morning (Thursday), Saturday’s game was 85% sold out.
Tickets for Retro Night are moving QUICK.
Secure your tickets for one of the most memorable nights of the season at https://t.co/HvrdhIGcOr!#ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/iC6ZxPllY2
— xy – Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) March 21, 2024
Saturday is a special feature game as well as the last game before playoffs begin.
The Cougars will be wearing throwback retro jerseys that will be raffled off after the game, there will also be another mega 50/50 jackpot guaranteed at $50,000 which will benefit the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation.
While that is the guaranteed amount, Dakers mentioned the last seven mega 50/50 nights have been worth an average of $140,000 – $160,000.
Every fan who enters the building will be given a raffle ticket to enter in a draw to get one of the game-worn retro jerseys from the player of their choice.
“They have the option of purchasing more ballots on top of that, but there is a high chance someone is going to win a player worn jersey for free,” Dakers said, adding “signed, if that is what the person wants.”
A public skate with the team will also be held right after the game.
Looking on the ice, Dakers said “we have played Kamloops pretty well this year… we have to take care of business down there on Friday, and Saturday night the boys are going to be looking to win and looking to fill the net.”
The Cougars have been in a sprint to the finish line since February, battling the Portland Winterhawks for top spot in the Western Conference.
As it stands entering the final weekend, the Cougars (47-15-1-3), who are on a 17 game point streak, have 98 points with two games to go.
Portland (46-15-3-1) has 96 points with three games to go.
If both teams were to win all five of their combined remaining games they would end tied in points and wins – the first tiebreaker.
If that were to happen, the second tiebreaker would also be tied, which is their record in head-to-head games. Both PG and Portland went 2-2-0-0 in games against one another this season.
The third tiebreaker is goal differential – the number of goals a team has scored vs the number of goals they have allowed in a season.
Portland and Prince George have the best goal differentials in the WHL – the Winterhawks are +123, the Cougars are +119.
If that ends tied as well the Cougars would win the 4th tiebreaker, which would be goal differential in head to head games.
That means the Cougars are not only looking to win both games this weekend, but to win big.
“That is the best we can do to control our fate on the ice, is get two wins, fill the net, and get our goals for up. Portland is going to be looking to do the same thing,” Dakers said.
“We are happy to be in the spot we are at… it really gives people something to look forward to come playoff time.”
Looking ahead to playoffs, which kick off next Friday and Saturday (March 29 and 30) in Prince George, Dakers said about half of the tickets have already been sold.
The team is also encouraging fans to wear white in the playoffs for the whiteout, a team post-season tradition.
“There is white merch in the store, white towels, white giveaways in the game,” Dakers said. “It is something we decided to carry on and keep pushing. Hopefully the fans have fun with it.”
The Cougars will also be holding a barbeque playoff tailgate party outside the CN Centre on Tuesday (March 26) with free hotdogs, street hockey with the team, and giving fans the chance to pick up playoff tickets.
Saturday night would be the earliest the Cougars could know who they will play in the first round.
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
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