The Prince George Cougars return to action tonight for the first of three games in three nights. Tonight, for the second time this season, the Prince George Cougars go head-to-head with the Calgary Hitmen in a game that can be seen live on SHAW TV across Western Canada tonight.

OVERVIEW:

The Calgary Hitmen head into tonight’s game with the league’s fourth best record at 30-11-1-3. They currently sit third in the Eastern Conference and are just one point back of the first placed Edmonton Oil Kings. Calgary is 7-3 in their last 10 games, and is 1-0 against the Cougars so far this season.

WHO’S UP FRONT:

Up front the Hitmen are led by a trio of productive forwards: Brooks Macek, Brady Brassart and Cody Sylvester. Those three have combined for 64 goals and 154 points so far this season.

WHO’S ON D:

19-year-old defenceman Alex Roach (Quesnel, B.C.) is the complete package. At 6’4” and nearly 230 pounds, he uses size, skill and experience to his advantage on a nightly basis. Roach has 10 goals, 36 points, and 61 penalty minutes and is a +33 on the season.

WHO’S IN GOAL:

18-year-old Chris Driedger is having a tremendous season between the pipes for Calgary. The Ottawa prospect is 24-8-1-2 so far this season with a save percentage of .924 and a goals-against-average of 2.19. His only shutout this season came in Mid-October in Prince George against the Cougars.

X-FACTOR:

Since rejoining the Calgary Hitmen, 19-year-old Swede Victor Rask has made his presence felt in several positive ways. He has 12 points in 11 games, and has provided Calgary with some strong depth and dependability behind their top trio of forwards. The Carolina Hurricanes prospect can take over a game if given the opportunity, and will need to be kept in check by the Cougars tonight.

OVERVIEW:

Heading into tonight’s game, the Prince George Cougars are 13-24-2-4 and are three points back of the eighth placed Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Conference. The Cougars have earned points in four of their past 10 games, and are 2-6-1-1 in that span.

WHO’S UP FRONT:

Collectively, the Cougars offense only struck for two goals last weekend against Kamloops. That said, the Cougars earned three of four points, and got goals when they needed them. As they begin this Alberta road-trip the Cougars must find a way to get going offensively. Heading into the weekend, Colin Jacobs leads the way with 14 goals and 31 points.

WHO’S ON D:

Earlier this week, Cougars defenceman Marc McNulty received some great news from NHL Central Scouting. McNulty is currently ranked as the 84^th best North American skater, and should continue to climb in the rankings provided he continues to play to his strengths. With six goals and 10 points, McNulty leads the Cougars in scoring for defenseman, and no doubt he’ll be looked upon tonight to play big minutes against Calgary’s top scoring threats.

WHO’S IN GOAL:

Speaking of Central Scouting, rookie goaltender Brett Zarowny is ranked #17 out of all North American goaltenders, and is also a likely candidate to climb the rankings as the season continues. Zarowny’s last outing was a 44 save shutout against the Blazers, and whether it’s Brett Zarowny or Mac Engel tonight in Calgary, the Cougars are going to need their goaltender to give them a chance and keep things close.

X-FACTOR:

The trio of Colin Jacobs, Caleb Belter and Ryan Hanes are on the verge of a breakout game. The three veteran forwards have had numerous chances to score in recent games, and certainly have the skill-set to make life tough on the opposition. If the Cougars want to win tonight, they will need their veteran forwards to bring their ‘A Games’ and it starts with the trio of Belter, Jacobs and Hanes.