After earning two points on Wednesday night in Cranbrook, the Prince George Cougars continue their road-swing through Southern Alberta and tonight will go head-to-head with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. It marks the first of two meetings this season between the two clubs.

LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES

OVERVIEW:

Rich Preston’s Lethbridge Hurricanes head into this weekend with a record of 2-5-0-0. They have lost three straight games and have scored the fewest amount of goals in the WHL with only 13.

WHO’S UP FRONT:

Two 18-year-old forwards are leading the way so far for the Hurricanes. Jaimen Yakubowski and Russell Maxwell have each scored three times and have five points to their credit through their first seven games. These two will be looked upon to continue to provide the Hurricanes with some offense this weekend.

WHO’S ON D:

20-year-old Daniel Johnston leads all Hurricanes defensemen with two points on the season. Last season Johnston posted 30 points from the back-end, and has shown that he has what it takes to contribute steadily at both ends of the ice. He’ll no doubt be one of the go-too guys defensively for the Hurricanes tonight.

WHO’S IN GOAL:

Former Prince George Cougar Ty Rimmer was acquired this summer by the Lethbridge Hurricanes and has provided them with some steady goaltending to start the season. Rimmer has a save percentage of .909% and a goals against average of 3.30. Rimmer won 31 games last season for the Tri City Americans, and was regarded as one of the league’s top netminders.

X-FACTOR:

Lethbridge special teams have haunted them in the early stages of the season. The Hurricanes are last in both penalty killing and power play percentage, and will need to get both of those in better shape. If the Hurricanes can win the special teams war, they will put themselves in a strong position to win.

PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS

Overview:

Dean Clark’s Prince George Cougars have won their last three games on the road, and are heading into tonight’s game with a 5-1-1-0 record through seven games. Wednesday’s game in Cranbrook was not pretty, but the Cougars found a way to win. It’s safe to say though that the Cougars need to be better tonight if they want to keep their road-winning streak going.

Who’s Up Front:

Jari Erricson’s first goal in a Cougars uniform proved to be a big one as it was the game-winner of Wednesday’s game. Erricson has found some early success playing alongside Troy Bourke and Daulton Siwak, and those three will again be looked upon to provide some offense for the visitors during tonight’s game.

Who’s on D:

Dean Clark was quick to compliment rookie defencemen Tanner Lishchynsky and Raymond Grewal for their strong play in Wednesday’s game. The Cougars blueline may lack experience, but they certainly do not lack heart, and with each passing game that Lishchynsky and Grewal play, their confidence continues to grow.

Who’s in Goal:

Brett Zarowny was rock solid for the Cougars stopping 35 of 39 shots for his fourth victory of the season Wednesday against Kootenay. With two games in the next two nights it’s not unrealistic to think that we’ll see both Brett Zarowny and Devon Fordyce at some point.

X-Factor:

The major X-Factor for the Cougars tonight will be shots on goal. The Cougars have shown time and time again this season that they can score in waves, and Wednesday they were able to convert on five of their 17 chances. Tonight they’ll need to put more shots on the Lethbridge goal, because Ty Rimmer is a proven, confident goaltender in this league who will need to be tested often if the Cougars want to continue their early season success on the road.