The Prince George Cougars are heading home with one of six possible points from the weekend after dropping an 8-4 decision to the Vancouver Giants on Sunday night. Trevor Cheek led the way with three goals for Vancouver, while Troy Bourke countered with two goals, an assist and a fight for the Cougars.

Giants captain Wes Vannieuwenhuizen grabbed the game’s first goal just 3:06 into the game. Right off an offensive zone faceoff, the puck came back to the left point and Vannieuwenhuizen fired a shot through traffic that beat Mac Engel for his second of the season.

51 seconds later, Colin Jacobs countered for the Cougars. After stopping an initial chance, Vancouver goalie Tyler Fuhr was caught out of position, and after a couple of unlucky shots towards the goal, Colin Jacobs put a rebound into the open goal for his team leading 13^th goal of the season. Troy Bourke and Chase Witala had the assists.

Just past the mid-way point of the period, the Giants made it 2-1 when Tyler Morrison beat Mac Engel with a shot from the high slot area. For Morrison it was his first of the season.

Once again, the Cougars were quick to counter. This time it was Chase Witala wbo intercepted a Tyler Fuhr clearing attempt along the left wing wall and put a shot towards the goal that deflected in off of Fuhr. Witala’s two point game now gives him 12 points in his past nine games and nine in his past five.

Once again though, the home team quickly grabbed their lead back. 48 seconds later, Jackson Houck fed a pass to Kale Kessy from behind the Cougars goal. Kessy was waiting at the far side for the pass, and made no mistake from in close. It was a 3-2 Vancouver lead after the first period with the Giants outshooting the Cougars 13-6.

In the early part of the second, the Cougars earned themselves a five-on-three power play, and would once again find a way to tie the score. Troy Bourke attempted to center a pass through the middle, but instead the puck defelcted off of Mason Geersten and in for Bourke’s fourth of the season.

Less than three minutes later, Vancouver would once again erase a tied game when Brett Kulak followed up on a Taylor Vickerman shot and backhanded the puck underneath Mac Engel and in to make it 4-3. Trevor Cheek would then score twice in a 3:36 span to increase Vancouver’s lead to 6-3.

Troy Bourke would add a late one for the Cougars on a power play to make the score 6-4 after 40 minutes.

Early in the third, the Giants received a power play opportunity, and Trevor Cheek completed his hat trick. Mason Geersten then scored the game’s final goal on a late Vancouver power play at 18:10.

For a second straight night, the Cougars surrendered 40 or more shots, as they were outshot on Sunday 43-26.

Both teams went two-for-five on the power play.

Vancouver’s victory now moves them to within nine opoints of the Prince George Cougars for fourth in the B.C. Division. The Cougars remain three points back of Everett for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Cougars (12-20-1-4) will look to start 2013 in a winning note when they host the Kelowna Rockets on Friday, January 4^th at the CN Centre.