The Mark Holick era will officially begin tonight for the Prince George Cougars who will play their 48^th game of the regular season at home against the Everett Silvertips. So far this season the Cougars are 2-0 against Everett having earned back-to-back wins against them to start the season in late September. Much has changed since then for both teams, and this weekend promises to be exciting for both teams.

Overview:

Garry Davidson’s Everett Silvertips are clicking well right now, having earned points in four straight games (3-0-1-0) and have opened up a nine point lead on the Cougars for seventh place in the Western Conference. Overall the Silvertips are 20-26-1-2, and 5-4-1-0 in their last 10 games.

Who’s Up Front:

19-year-old forward Joshua Winquist leads the Silvertips with 36 points in 36 games. His 21 goals leads the team, and he’s also chipped in with six power play goals. Winquist has seven goals and 13 points in nine January games, and will no doubt be one to watch for Everett tonight.

Who’s on D:

Given the absence of Ryan Murray, the Everett Silvertips have had to lean heavily on rookie import defenceman Mirco Mueller. The draft-eligible Swiss-born player has five goals, 22 points and is +8 on the season. Many suggest that he’ll be a top-flight pick in the 2013 NHL entry draft.

Who’s in Goal:

Austin Lotz had quite a game Wednesday night in Kamloops. The draft-eligible goaltender from St. Adolphe, MB faced 69 shots from the Kamloops Blazers and still managed to secure at least one point for his team in an overtime loss. Lotz  is 0-1 this season against the Cougars dropping a 6-0 score against them back on September 22^nd.

X-Factor:

While the Everett Silvertips may not boast that ‘superstar’ calibre player (given Ryan Murray’s injury) they certainly boast some strong offensive depth. Everett has eight players on their roster with over 20 points, which shows that they get steady production throughout their lineup. Reid Petryk, Manraj Hayer, Tyler Sandhu, Kohl Bauml and Landon Oslanski are just some of the names that the Cougars will need to keep close tabs on.

Overview:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars head into tonight’s game with an overall record of 14-27-2-4. They currently trail the eighth placed Seattle Thunderbirds by five points with two games in hand. The Cougars have 25 games remaining in their regular season, which gives them plenty of time to make a run at the playoffs, but the wins need to start coming, and Mark Holick will look to get the first one under his belt tonight at home.

Who’s Up Front:

Both Troy Bourke and Chase Witala had their point streaks snapped in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to Prince Albert. Heading down the stretch, these two are going to be relied upon heavily to supply this team with offense. When one streak ends, another one can begin, and tonight the trio of Troy  Bourke, Chase Witala and Klarc Wilson will no doubt be given every opportunity to contribute offensively.

Who’s on D:

Though the Cougars haven’t had a ton of offensive production in from the backend this season, lately it’s been coming in waves. Dallas Ehrhardt and Dan Gibb have both scored two goals in the past week, and are helping the Cougars at both ends of the ice. Dan Gibb especially has been playing some of his best hockey as of late, and given the crazy week that it’s been in Prince George, the team will need to reply upon Gibb’s leadership again this weekend, and he’ll have to lead the charge in any way possible.

Who’s in Goal:

Mac Engel turned aside 21 shots that he faced Wednesday against Prince Albert, and with two games in two nights this weekend, it could mean that Brett Zarowny gets the first crack at the Silvertips tonight. So far this season Zarowny is 2-0 against Everett with a 6-0 shutout under his belt. Zarowny and Austin Lotz are two ranked goalies on NHL Central Scouting’s radar, which means we could be in for a real treat tonight, and this weekend depending on how things play out between the pipes.

X-Factor:

Colin Jacobs torched the Everett Silvertips earlier this season for three goals and six points in two games. Jacobs heads into the weekend leading the Cougars with 15 goals and 32 points. Hopefully a meeting with the Everett Silvertips can help spark Jacobs to some similar success this weekend.