The Prince George Cougars are now 1-1 on their three game road trip following a 3-2 loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday night. Sam Mckechnie broke open a 2-2 tie with less than five minutes to go to give Lethbridge the victory. Brett Zarowny stopped 25 of the 28 shots he faced, and Jari Erricson scored for a second straight game for Prince George.

Early in the first Lethbridge got on the board when Russell Maxwell netted his fourth of the season on a power play. Brett Zarowny stopped Jaimen Yakubowski’s original shot, but Maxwell buried the rebound.

The Cougars responded well, but Ty Rimmer was strong in goal turning aside 10 Cougars shots in the first period. The best chance came off a Troy Bourke breakaway.

Late in the first, Caleb Belter was ejected from the game after a five-minute major penalty for interference. Lethbridge took their power play into the second period and converted on a very similar play to their first goal. Again it was Russell Maxwell who was able to shovel the puck past Brett Zarowny for his second of the game and Lethbridge had a 2-0 lead.

Mid-way through the second, Brock Hirsche made it 2-1 when he tapped in his fourth of the season on a power play. Chase Witala and Colin Jacobs assisted on the Hirsche marker, which means that Colin Jacobs’ point streak is now at eight games.

Early in the third, the Cougars tied it when Daulton Siwak won a battle for the puck behind the Lethbridge goal. He threw the puck out front to the waiting Jari Erricson who made no mistake for his second of the season. Erricson has now scored in back-to-back games for the Cougars.

Play went back and forth through the majority of the third with both teams getting some quality chances. The final goal came off a lost puck battle along the wing that was centered out front to the waiting Sam Mckechnie, who deked Brett Zarowny for his fourth of the season.

The Cougars had an edge in shots on goal through the majority of the game, but were eventually outshot by a slim 28-27 margin.

Each team had success on the power play which the Cougars finishing one-for-five while Lethbridge went two-for-six.

It was the first regulation loss on the road this season for the Cougars who will wrap up their three-game road trip Saturday night in Medicine Hat against the Tigers.