You have to play a full 60 minutes if you want to win hockey games.
The Prince George Cougars did not do that as they fell 4-3 to the Vancouver Giants.
“You look at the first two periods, especially that first, everything we talked about doing to them in our game plan, getting pucks in behind their defence, and they’re on a long three-in-three with travel, and wearing them down, they did to us,” said Cougars Assistant Coach Carter Rigby on the post-game show on 94.3 the Goat.
“We didn’t touch them for the first 40 minutes of the game, we didn’t shoot the puck, and it downward spiraled from there, we had a great effort in the third to come back, but if you don’t start on time, that’s what happens.”
The Giants outshot the Cougars 28-25.
The Cougars had five opportunities on the powerplay but only found the back of the net once, with an absolute laser from Riley Heidt 1:10 into the third to make the score 4-3.
Bubble Heidt is a scary man, 5 points in 2 games.@mnwild | @CarlsJrCA https://t.co/y6OwBPUxqA pic.twitter.com/h3oMKYtfsY
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) November 25, 2024
“Great shot by Heidter, but that’s the thing, he shot the puck, I think the first couple there off the bat we didn’t get a shot on net, everything was wide,” Rigby said.
“We looked slow and tired, we weren’t getting retrievable pucks after pucks were thrown on net, if they even got there. It’s nice to see Heidter get one and actually shoot the puck but nonetheless we need more of that.”
Borya Valis opened the scoring on a 2-on-0 with Terik Parascak that started with a great stretch pass from Heidt.
Probably not the guys you want to see free and clear if you are anyone but the Prince George Cougars.@Capitals | @CarlsJrCA https://t.co/RKlORAgkdT pic.twitter.com/iwhh63PFqq
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) November 25, 2024
Shortly after, Ethan Middlestadt tied the game by placing a shot perfectly past Cooper Michaluk.
Later in the first, Lee Shurgot extended his point streak to six games, taking a Koehn Ziemmer feed from the corner and burying the backhand.
Make that a 6 game point streak for Lee Shurgot!@CarlsJrCA https://t.co/9XOvMZgN7C pic.twitter.com/bec7Q2lsqB
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) November 25, 2024
In the second, it was all Vancouver as Ryan Lin scored his first WHL goal, and Tyson Zimmer tacked on two more for the Giants.
Michaluk made 24 saves for the Cougars in the loss.
Vancouver’s rookie netminder Carter Capton put on an outstanding performance making 22 saves in his first WHL start, pleasing the 3,627 fans at the Langley Events Centre.
The box score is here.
The Cougars (13-6-3-2) are on top of the WHL’s BC Division and are second in the Western Conference.
The WHL standings are here.
The Cougars’ three-game road swing continues on Friday, when they head to Red Deer to face the Rebels.
The full Cougars schedule is here.
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