After five straight games on home ice, the Prince George Cougars are back on the road. Tonight in Red Deer they’ll kick off their Alberta swing against the same Rebels squad that they faced one week ago in Prince George. So far this season the Cougars have earned three of four possible points against the Rebels: A 3-1 win in Red Deer on January 20^th and a 4-3 shootout loss one week ago.

Overview:

Brent Sutter’s Red Deer Rebels head into tonight’s game with a record of 29-22-4-2. Their 64 points has them ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference and three points behind Saskatoon for fourth. Red Deer is 5-4-1-0 in their last 10 games.

Who’s Up Front:

18-year-old forward Joel Hamilton is having a strong sophomore season in the Western Hockey League. With eight goals and 34 points, he sits third in team scoring. Hamilton has scored once in each game against Prince George so far this season.

Who’s on D:

Mathew Dumba was outstanding for Red Deer one week ago in Prince George. He paced his team with two assists, and was strong at both ends of the ice. The Minnesota Wild first-rounder from 2012 leads all Rebels defenders with 12 goals and 29 points, and rest assured the Cougars will see a ton of Dumba in tonight’s game.

Who’s in Goal:

One week ago in Prince George, Rebels netminder Patrik Bartosak made 50 saves on 53 shots faced, and was a huge reason why the Rebels were able to win that game. Bartosak heads into tonight’s game with a strong record of 23-12-4-0, and has a save percentage of .929.  Bartosak heads into tonight’s game with the fifth best goals-against-average in the WHL at 2.42. His backup goaltender is Bolton Pouliot who is 5-8-0-2.

X-Factor:

When these teams met one week ago, the Rebels were outshot 53-30 through 65 minutes of play. I’m sure the message tonight from Red Deer’s side will be to cut down on the shots against. Defensively the Rebels will need to stay disciplined and dedicated to blocking shots and allowing their goaltender to see the pucks.

Overview:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars head into tonight’s game just two points back of eighth place in the Western Conference playoff race. With 16 games remaining in their regular season, the Cougars will need to grab some wins on the road in order to keep themselves in contention. So far this season they are 17-31-2-6 but have earned points in four of their past five games overall.

Who’s Up Front:

Heading into tonight, Zach Pochiro is riding a four-game point streak. During that span, Pochiro has notched two goals and seven points, which is a team high. Pochiro is playing with a ton of confidence right now, and hopefully that continues against a Red Deer team that he has had some success against so far this season. So far in two games, Pochiro has three goals and an assist against the Rebels.

Who’s on D:

As an entire unit the Cougars need to be better defensively. Saturday against Vancouver, the Cougars were outshot 36-24, and lost a number of battles in all areas of the ice, that previously they had been winning. The key tonight will be for the defense to pick their moments offensively, while blocking shots and protecting the front of their net against some very plucky and hard-working Red Deer forwards.

Who’s in Goal:

Red Deer product Mac Engel was excellent on January 20^th, stopping 31 of the 32 shots he faced en route to a 3-1 Cougars victory. Provided Engel gets the call in goal tonight, you know that he’ll be amped up for another chance to play in front of friends and family in Red Deer. Over his past eight games, Engel is 2-2-0-2.

X-Factor:

If the Cougars are going to start winning more games on the road they are going to have to have better starts to their games.  If the Cougars can dictate the play early, and score first, it will get the bench feeling confident and allow the Cougars to play to their strengths moving forward. A good start should equal a good result for the Cougars both tonight and during this four-game road stretch in Alberta.