The Prince George Cougars-Portland Winterhawks WHL Western Conference Final could be the best hockey ever seen at CN Centre.
Is that an overstatement based on hype, anticipation, buildup and promotion?
Perhaps, but do not bet against it.
This is the fourth time the Cougars have been to the league’s Final Four and first in 17 years since 2007.
In 1997, they were a big underdog against the Seattle Thunderbirds losing in six games to a team they were 25 points behind in the regular season.
In 2000, they were a slight underdog against the Spokane Chiefs, losing in five games to a team they were five points behind in the regular season.
In 2007, they were a big underdog against the Vancouver Giants, losing in five games to a team they were 26 points behind in the regular season.
It doesn’t get any closer than this.
After a nearly identical regular season, Western Conference juggernauts, the @pdxwinterhawks and @PGCougars, will meet in a best-of-seven series starting Friday night.#WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingtheFuture
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 25, 2024
The Cougars have home ice advantage in 2024, something they did not enjoy in their three previous visits to the Western Final.
How good have the Cougars been in front of their exuberant, passionate and avid fans?
In the playoffs they are 5-0 at home outscoring the opposition 28-8.
They also won their last four home games in the regular season.
The Cougars did drop a 5-4 overtime decision to the Spokane Chiefs on March 1st but they have lost at home in regulation time in their last 16 CN Centre appearances.
Any guess on who was the last team to beat Prince George on home ice in regulation?
That is right, the Portland Winterhawks over three months ago on January 20th when P.G. dropped a 2-1 decision.
The night before on January 19th, the Cougars beat the Winterhawks 3-2.
Those two games were arguably the best two games on back-to-back nights we have seen in Prince George from two quality teams.
With the stakes much higher now and both teams playing at peak efficiency one has to believe the standard of hockey in this series should be as good as it gets.
On January 20th, there were 6,009 fans at CN Centre on Indigenous night.
This weekend, the attendance will be similar this evening (Friday) and Saturday, however, the noise volume will be cranked up considerably.
Playoff hockey in P.G. is on a different level.
“It’s the most special time of the year…I think we are ready for the task at hand”
Captain Hudson Thornton chats ahead of Game 1 against Portland tomorrow night in the Western Conference Championship.#WHLPlayoffs • #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/vdnq0anGaO
— xy – Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) April 25, 2024
This series is the epitome of two evenly matched teams which is bared out by the statistics.
Prince George and Portland were separated by just a point in the regular season standings, finishing one-two.
The Cougars had a goal differential of +129 while the Winterhawks were +126.
Portland is the only WHL team with a perfect record in the playoffs at 8-0, outscoring its opponent 42-16.
Prince George is 8-1, outscoring its opponent 40-17.
The Winterhawks have the best power play of the four teams still in the hunt (Saskatoon and Moose Jaw will battle for the Eastern Conference title) at a whopping 41.4 % while the Cougars have the best penalty kill of all 16 playoff teams at a staggering 98.6 %.
There are so-many intriguing match-ups, perhaps none better than the starting goalies.
Both 19-year-old Jan Spunar of the Winterhawks and 17-year-old rookie phenom Josh Ravensbergen of the Cougars have spectacular .931 save percentages in the playoffs.
GET ME A BERGER, AND MAKE IT A DOUBLE.
BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS FOR JOSH RAVENSBERGEN pic.twitter.com/us8UiYPgVv
— xy – Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) April 14, 2024
Ravensbergen is sitting with a 1.85 GAA with two shutouts with Spunar right behind with a 1.94 GAA and one shutout.
In the regular season, Spunar was second and Ravensbergen fourth in GAA while Spunar was third and Ravensbergen seventh in save percentage.
Jan Špunar in elimination games this postseason:
♦️ 47/48 saves
♦️ .979 sv%
♦️ 1 goal allowed
♦️ 1 Šhutout#WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/j4fKroRPCE— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) April 20, 2024
Tonight one streak will come to an end, either the Cougars home winning steak or the Winterhawks road and overall winning streak.
This will set the tone for what promises to be a long, thrilling, memorable series which is difficult to pick a winner.
Whoever you think will prevail, you have a 50% chance of being right.
Whether you are a diehard Cougars fan, a staunch Winterhawks fan, a loyal WHL fan, or just a true hockey fan, let us all enjoy the ride these teams are about to give us.
Only one can be the Best in the West.
The @PGCougars and @pdxwinterhawks will battle it out at the Western Conference Championships starting Friday, April 26.
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 20, 2024
Cat Scan podcast:
This is season six of Hartley’s Cat Scan, a weekly podcast show that predominately features the PG Cougars.
This week’s guests are Cougars head coach and general manager Mark Lamb and the voice of the Portland Winterhawks Nic Marek.
The coach & GM of the @PGCougars Mark Lamb is back on the Cat Scan #podcast. He shares his views on: making the #WHL final 4, the series win over Kelowna, the Western Final vs the @pdxwinterhawks and how both teams mirror one another, fan support, home ice advantage & more. https://t.co/cCyXB91qpq
— Hartley Miller (@Hartley_Miller) April 23, 2024
CAT SCAN: @Hartley_Miller sits down with @pdxwinterhawks voice @NicholasMarek in a special episode ahead of the @TheWHL Western Conference Final | https://t.co/OoXrWl7Z2P #cityofpg #PrinceGeorge #northernbc #sports #WHLPlayoffs #Portland #PDX #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/P5SNx0WQ0E
— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) April 24, 2024
FROM THE QUOTE RACK:
Ever feel depressed because some days you don’t think you are good at your job.
Save copies of all these NFL pundits making definitive statements on what teams made the best decisions in the draft.
*Comedy writer Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson continue to train for their showdown on July 20th at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. The winner will fight Tonya Harding.
*Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
A book was recently returned to a Connecticut library — 52 years late. Speaking of epically overdue, the Toronto Maple Leafs think this is their year to win the Stanley Cup.
Hartley Miller is the news and sports director/supervisor plus morning news anchor for 94.3 the GOAT and Country 97fm. He is in his 11th year as the radio colour commentator for the Prince George Cougars home games. Hartley has been on the airwaves in PG since 1979 and is the author of You Don’t Say (sports quotes).
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