The Prince George Cougars and the Tri-City Americans are all set for their rematch tonight at the CN Centre. Last night Connor Rankin paced the Ams with two goals while goaltender Troy Trombley stopped 34 of the 37 shots he faced. The Cougars outchanced Tri-City but were unable to outscore them, and they’ll look to snap a five game losing skid tonight at home.

Overview:

With a win last night, Jim Hiller’s team now sits at 39-23-1-2 and one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs for fourth in the Western Conference standings. Tri-City is 8-2 in their past 10 games altogether and are 2-0 so far against the Cougars this season.

Who’s Up Front:

Earlier today the WHL announced that Tri-City forward Justin Feser has been named the Husky WHL Player of the Month for February. The 20 year-old forward collected 24 points through the month of February finding the net 12 times and adding 12 assists. Feser leads all Tri-City skaters with 41 goals and 98 points.

Who’s on D:

19-year-old defenceman Mitch Topping leads all Tri-City blueliners with 13 goals and 39 points heading into tonight’s game. Topping scored the third Tri-City goal in last night’s game and certainly made his presence felt at both ends of the ice.

Who’s in Goal:

The game’s first star last night was Tri-City goaltender Troy Trombley who turned aside 34 of the 37 shots he faced. Trombley is now 7-1 this season through 10 games played and boasts a 2.21 goals-against-average and a .935 save percentage. Luke Lee-Knight is Tri-City’s other option and 11-8 with a 3.61 goals-against-average.

X-Factor:

While Justin Feser certainly attracts the most attention defensively it was Tri-City’s depth that won them last night’s game. Though the Cougars had the ‘better’ scoring chances, Tri-City was more opportunistic with their chances. Connor Rankin, Brian Williams and Lucas Nickles were three of the forwards who were particularly impressive in last night’s contest, and if they get that same depth tonight, the Cougars could be in trouble.

Overview:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars are 18-38-2-6 this season and they head into tonight’s game eight points out of a playoff spot with eight games remaining. With 16 possible points still up for grabs, the Cougars are still mathematically in the Western Conference playoff race, but the wins MUST come soon.

Who’s Up Front:

Tonight Cougars forward Troy Bourke will suit up for his 200^th game in the WHL. The 18-year-old from Onoway, AB leads all active Cougars with 143 points in 199 games. Bourke has been a tremendous leader both on and off the ice for the Prince George Cougars, and the fans know that every night Troy Bourke will represent the Cougars well.

Who’s on D:

Marc McNulty scored his eighth goal of the season last night, and continues to lead all Cougars defensemen in that category. McNulty logged a lot of ice-time alongside Dan Gibb, and tonight the same will be expected of him. He sits second in Cougars scoring for defensemen with 14 points.

Who’s in Goal:

With Brett Zarowny getting the start in last night’s game, it would seem likely that Mac Engel would get the nod tonight for Prince George. Heading into tonight’s game, Mac Engel is just one win shy of 50 for his career, and the 19-year-old from Red Deer, Alberta can hopefully reach that milestone before too long.

X-Factor:

Last night the Prince George Cougars outshot and out-chanced the Tri-City Americans but were still on the wrong end of a 6-3 score. Tonight the Cougars will need to do their best to repeat their shots-on-goal performance while bearing down a little more to finish plays off. If the Cougars can flirt with the 40 shot mark again tonight, they’ll give themselves every opportunity to win tonight’s game.