The Prince George Cougars seem to be trending in the right direction, picking up a 4-3 win over the Tri-City Americans Friday night.
The game was the first of three-in-a-row between the two teams.
“I like the extension of our last game, defensively, I think we’re really locking it down, not giving them a lot, and that’s a recipe for success,” said Cougars Head Coach and GM Mark Lamb on the Post Game Show on 94.3 the Goat.
“You can’t have one thing that’s going please you more than the other thing because they all go together to make a good hockey team and a win.”
The Cougars killed off a penalty late in the third, which shifted momentum to the Cougars to help them seal the win, much to the appreciation of the crowd of 3,448 at the CN Centre.
“It was the mindset after Foster got that penalty that we weren’t going to get scored on,” Lamb said.
‘We put a lot of pressure on in their end, and when you can do that when you’re killing the penalty, it sure relieves a lot of stress.”
The Cougars allowed a season-low 19 shots in the game, 16 of which were turned aside by Josh Ravensbergen. The Cougars put 29 shots on Lukas Matecha
It was a strong game for Terik Parascak, notching three assists.
“He’s a quiet, competitive hockey player that gets a lot done out there,” Lamb said.
“The body of work that he does offensively and defensively, that’s why he went in the first round.”
Riley Heidt got the night started offensively just past the midway point of the first period, firing a laser past Matecha on the powerplay.
Good things come to those who wait 😼@mnwild | @CarlsJrCA https://t.co/M0svBsftui pic.twitter.com/aYmv1NtJcz
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) February 1, 2025
Aiden Foster found the back of the net in the final minute of the first, putting a rebound off a Terik Parascak drive past Matecha.
Aiden Foster and Terik Parascak ended the first period the right way!@Capitals | #NHLDraft | @CarlsJrCA pic.twitter.com/vaNmF7eDlw
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) February 1, 2025
Borya Vallis scored a strange goal to give the Cats a 3-2 lead, putting the puck into a dislodged net for his 200th career point.
So you can’t just do that, this one counts!@CarlsJrCA https://t.co/b8ApmhYmaW pic.twitter.com/fSaJsYCMGR
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) February 1, 2025
Ben Riche put away the eventual game winner, sneaking past the Tri City defence and potting the rebound off Valis’ shot.
Riche place, Riche time!#NHLDraft | @CarlsJrCA https://t.co/Sq7MPhqLS4 pic.twitter.com/O1BExGQ27x
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) February 1, 2025
The box score is here.
The Cougars (27-15-3-2) are second in the BC Division, one point behind the Victoria Royals (26-14-3-5).
The WHL standings are here.
The Cougars and Americans play again tonight (Saturday) at the CN Centre.
The full Cougars schedule is here.
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