The Prince George Cougars will begin the month of February against a very familiar opponent. Tonight for the seventh time this season the Prince George Cougars will face the Victoria Royals in a B.C. Division battle. So far this season the Cougars are 1-4-0-1 against the Royals and will look to improve upon that mark with two games at home this weekend.

Overview:

Dave Lowry’s Victoria Royals head into tonight’s game with an overall record of 27-18-1-2. They are 7-2-0-1 in their past 10 games and are three points back of the Tri-City Americans for fifth place in the Western Conference standings. Last night the Royals were defeated 6-1 by the Kelowna Rockets in Kelowna.

Who’s Up Front:

The Victoria Royals boast a strong core of forwards that are led by 20-year-old Alex Gogolev. With 17 goals and 62 points, Gogolev is far-and-away the team’s leading scorer. That said he’s got a ton of help behind him with Jamie Crooks (23 goals), Brandon Magee (26 goals), Ben Walker (31 points) and Steven Hodges (33 points). The Royals have shown this season that they are not to be counted out of any game, thanks in large part to their depth up front.

Who’s on D:

With eight goals and 30 points, Brett Cote provided a little bit of everything to Dave Lowry’s team. Cote has scored two game-winning goals this season against the Prince George Cougars, and will no doubt be a focal point in the Victoria attack tonight from the backend.

Who’s in Goal:

It has either been feast or famine this season for Victoria goaltender Patrik Polivka against the Prince George Cougars. In six appearances this season, Polivka has earned four victories, but has also been pulled in two games (a shootout win, and a regulation loss). Polivka’s goals-against-average sits at 3.12 and his save percentage is just a hair under the .900 mark. His backup is Coleman Vollrath who is 2-5 this season in limited action.

X-Factor:

The Victoria Royals are a team loaded with offense, and that could not be more evident than on their power play, which is fourth overall in the WHL heading into tonight. The Royals have 53 goals on the power play this season, which sits at 22.2 percent. Discipline is going to be a huge key for the Cougars success tonight.

Overview:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars head into tonight’s game with a 3-6-1-0 record in their past 10 games. There is a six-point gap separating the ninth placed Cougars and the eighth placed Seattle Thunderbirds who are also in action tonight, at home to Portland. The last time the Cougars faced Victoria was on December 29^th, 2012, where they lost 4-3 in a shootout.

Who’s Up Front:

Chase Witala is having quite a week for the Prince George Cougars. Witala has all three Cougars goals so far this week, and is tied for the team lead in points for January with 11.Witala has already reached a new season high for points in a season with 28, and will look to keep the positives going tonight against the Royals.

Who’s on D:

No changes for the Cougars defensively as they still wait for Joe Carvalho, Marc McNulty and Jordan Harris to get healthy. Dan Gibb, Dallas Ehrhardt, Rinalds Rosinskis and Raymond Grewal will likely see a bulk of the load tonight against the high-flying Royals. Attention to detail defensively is going to be a big key tonight for the Cougars who have kept things close with the Royals in most of the games this season.

Who’s in Goal:

Given Brett Zarowny’s recent injury, Mac Engel will be the immediate ‘go-too-guy’ between the pipes for the Cougars. That said, 16-year-old Ty Edmonds has been added to the Cougars roster, and will be available if necessary. Engel is 1-2 against Victoria so far this season.

X-Factor:

Under Mark Holick, the Cougars have recorded 30 or more shots in each of the past four games. The Cougars will need to instigate the offense as best as possible tonight, and keep Victoria’s forwards hemmed in their own zone for as long as possible. If the Cougars can establish a high shot total again, while staying defensively responsible, they give themselves an excellent chance at victory here tonight.