The Prince George Cougars are set to renew hostilities with the Kamloops Blazers tonight at the Interior Savings Centre. These teams have met twice already this season, with both games resulting in Kamloops shootout victories. The Cougars have matched up well against the B.C. Division’s top team, and tonight the Cougars are hoping for a similar effort, only with a different end result.

Overview:

Guy Charron’s club heads into tonight with the top record in the B.C. Division. Through 32 games, the Blazers are tied with the Portland Winterhawks for the top point total in the entire Western Hockey League (45 points). Kamloops is 5-3-1-1 in their past 10 games, and are nine points up on the Kelowna Rockets heading into action this evening.

Who’s Up Front:

19-year-old forward JC Lipon heads into action tonight with the most points of any player in the Western Hockey League. In 32 games this season, Lipon has registered 22 goals and 57 points. If that wasn’t impressive enough, consider the fact that Lipon has only played in six games this season without securing at least one point. He and his fellow linemate Colin Smith have combined for 113 points already this season, and their 44 combined goals account for 39 percent of the Blazers goals so far this season.

Who’s on D:

Yesterday, Blazers GM Craig Bonner pulled the trigger on a deal that sent Tyler Bell, Jayden Halbgewachs and a 2015 first round draft pick to the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for veteran defenceman Joel Edmundson and a 2015 fourth round pick. So far this season Edmundson has tallied twice and recorded eight total points. But 2011 second-rounder of the St. Louis Blues brings more than just offense to the table. He’s calm, physical and can shutdown the opposing team’s top players.

Who’s in Goal:

So far this season, 19-year-old Cole Cheveldave has earned two shootout victories against the Prince George Cougars in two appearances. Cheveldave has still never lost to the Cougars in his WHL career, and brings a 17-5-0-1 record into play this weekend. His backup is 18-year-old Taran Kozun who is 5-2-1-1 in nine starts this season.

X-Factor:

The Kamloops Blazers power play is ranked in the top five of the Western Hockey League at 22.9 percent.  has many lethal options that can burn you if you let it. So far in two meetings, the Cougars have killed off seven of the eight Blazer power play chances. It is going to take strong discipline, and a steady penalty-killing effort from the Cougars once again to be successful.

Overview:

Heading into the weekend, the Prince George Cougars are 10-14-1-3 and are sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference playoff race. They are eight points ahead of the fifth placed Giants in the B.C. Division. The Cougars are 3-5-0-2 in their past 10 games. It hasn’t been an easy week for the Cougars who learned on Wednesday that captain Brock Hirsche had to retire from the WHL. Can the Cougars rally around new captain Dan Gibb and defeat their biggest league rival?

Who’s Up Front:

Prince George Cougars forward Daulton Siwak has now scored goals in back-to-back games, and is tied for second on the team with seven goals so far this season. Siwak had the game winner during Tuesday’s 2-1 win against Moose Jaw, and with that goal became the first Cougar to register his second game-winner. With Colin Jacobs still out for the next four games due to suspension, it will be important for Siwak to continue to provide the Cougars with steady offense.

Who’s on D:

Newly appointed Cougars captain Dan Gibb will sport the ‘C’ for the first time tonight in Kamloops. Gibb is another one of those ‘heart and soul’ type of players that every team wishes they had more of. Without question, Gibb and his teammates will be ready to go tonight, and you know that the young Cougars are going to want to spoil the Friday fun for Kamloops in their own building.

Who’s in Goal:

A difficult decision no doubt for the Cougars coaching staff. Do you go with Mac Engel who has twice gone toe-to-toe with Cole Cheveldave and earned a point for the Cougars in a very tough building? Or do you go with Brett Zarowny who is fresh off a 33 save victory Tuesday night against Moose Jaw? Sounds like either option should give both the coaches and the team confidence. Having two capable goaltenders who can win games is a huge luxury in this league.

X-Factor:

Tonight’s X-Factor is a two-parter. The first major key for the Cougars will be to once again limit the damage from Colin Smith, JC Lipon and Tim Bozon. Secondly, the Cougars are going to need to pay the price to score goals. The addition of Edmundson on the back-end will no doubt give the Kamloops defense some added experience and confidence, so the Cougars will need to dig deep and force the Blazers to question themselves defensively. The earlier the Cougars can score their first goal, the better.