It was a night that Cougars rookie forward Zach Pochiro won’t soon forget. The 18-year-old product of Las Vegas, Nevada had two goals, two assists, and a fight to help lead the Prince George Cougars to a 6-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. Cougars captain Brock Hirsche added two goals and an assist and goaltender Brett Zarowny turned aside 27 shots for his third victory of the season. 

The game didn’t start well for the Cougars who coughed up a goal 1:30 into the game. Ryan Olsen converted a two-on-one chance for his second of the season to give the Rockets the early lead. 

89 seconds later the Cougars tied it when Zach Pochiro stepped into a slap shot from the high slot for his first ever WHL goal. Brock Hirsche added an assist on the game tying goal. 

Colin Jacobs moved his point streak to five games with a power play goal at 8:43 to give Prince George the 2-1 lead. Kelowna countered less than five minutes later when Colton Sissons scored short-handed at 13:28 of the first. 

Brock Hirsche quickly gave the Cougars the lead back after he received a nifty pass from Caleb Belter in front of the Kelowna goal, and beat Jordan Cooke for his second of the season. Hirsche then added another goal at 17:52 to make the score 4-2. 

Daulton Siwak extended the Cougars lead to 5-2 with a goal at 19:01 of the first period. That would spell the end of the night for Rockets starting goaltender, Jordan Cooke. 

Jackson Whistle played the rest of the game in goal for Kelowna, and was sharp early in the second period. Only one Cougar was able to score on him, and it was Zach Pochiro at 9:20 who scored a gorgeous unassisted goal for his second goal of the game and fourth point. 

Kelowna would score a power play goal in the third period to make the game 6-3, but from then on out Brett Zarowny kept the door closed, and the Prince George Cougars held on for their fourth victory of 2012-2013. 

Zach Pochiro, Brock Hirsche, Caleb Belter and Troy Bourke all recorded multi-point games, while Colin Jacobs extended his point streak to five games. Prince George outshot the Rockets 43-30, and finished the game one-for-four on the power play. Kelowna went one-for-two on their power play chances. 

These teams will meet again on Saturday night at CN Centre, with the Cougars (4-0-1-0) eyeing their fifth victory in six games.