As the month of October winds to a close, the Prince George Cougars will continue their six-game home stand tonight and tomorrow night against their B.C. Division rivals, the Vancouver Giants. Tonight’s game marks the first of eight times that these division foes will square off this season. The Cougars are entering a lengthy stretch where their next seven games are all against B.C. Divison teams, and this stretch should provide the Cougars with a great opportunity to climb the standings, provided they continue earning points.

Overview:

Don Hay’s Vancouver Giants head into this week with a 4-9-1-1 record through 15 games this season. Vancouver is 3-5-1-1 in their past 10 games, and are coming off a 4-1 victory Sunday night in Kamloops. Vancouver currently sits ninth in the Western Conference and six points back of the Prince George Cougars for third in the B.C. Division.

Who’s Up Front:

It has been quite a month for second-year Giants forward Carter Popoff. The 18-year-old has recorded 12 points in his past nine games, and leads all Giants in scoring with 14 points in 15 games so far this season. Popoff had a good rookie season last year, scoring 15 times and adding 12 assists.

Who’s on D:

With 11 points in 11 games, Giants captain Dalton Thrower is the lone Giant who’s on a point-per-game pace this season. Since re-joining the Giants after his NHL training camp with Montreal, Thrower has provided a little bit of everything for Don Hay’s club. Thrower has only been held pointless in three of his first 11 games in a Giants uniform. He has scored four goals and has provided a nice spark on the power play. Cougars fans can expect to see a TON of Dalton Thrower in all situations this week.

Who’s in Goal:

Sophomore goaltender Payton Lee has had his share of struggles to start the 2013-2014 season, but perhaps a visit to Prince George is exactly what the doctor ordered. Lee was 4-1 against Prince George last season with a goals-against-average of 1.97 and a save percentage of .932. So far this season, Lee is 4-8-1-0 with a 3.57 goals-against-average and a save percentage of .868.

X-Factor:

20-year-old forward Cain Franson always seems to bring his best whenever the Prince George Cougars are involved. Franson has managed eight points in 11 games so far this season, but has point up some excellent numbers in previous seasons against the Cougars. Last season Franson led all Giants players with  nine points in seven games against Prince George.

Overview:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars head into tonight’s game with an even record of 7-7-0-2 so far this season. They have earned points in four straight games at home, and are currently ranked eighth in the Western Conference, but trail sixth place Victoria by just three points. The Cougars are coming off a three point weekend against the Calgary Hitmen.

Who’s Up Front:

Chase Witala is on a five-game goal scoring streak for Prince George and has scored nine goals in his past eight games overall. Witala leads all Cougars with 14 points during the month of October, and has started to establish himself as one of the team’s most consistent offensive options. Another big night from Witala and his linemates Troy Bourke and David Soltes would be a big boost for the Cougars against Vancouver.

Who’s on D:

Notably absent from the lineup on Saturday night was 18-year-old defenceman Marc McNulty. The Detroit Red Wings prospect was a healthy scratch on Saturday as the Cougars dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to Calgary. McNulty leads all Cougars defenceman with six points on the season, and has shown that he can be a tremendous two-way defenceman for this team. Hopefully his return can help spark the back-end in a positive way this week against the Giants.

Who’s in Goal:

Ty Edmonds continues to be a major standout for the Prince George Cougars. Last weekend he stopped 69 of the 75 shots he faced over a 130 minute span, and also did a remarkable job in the shootout on both nights despite only winning one of them. Edmonds is 7-3-0-2 with a 2.30 goals-against-average and a save percentage of .924 through 14 games this season.

X-Factor:

David Soltes’ return to the lineup has been a lightning rod of sorts for the Prince George Cougars. The 18-year-old has supplied some more offense to the top-six, while also providing some speed and physicality. His two points on Saturday marked the first time in his young career that he’s recorded more than one point in a WHL game. Hopefully Soltes can continue to build some confidence as he truly gets his feet wet in the WHL.