Tonight in Prince George the Cougars will play their sixth and final game of what can definitely be characterized as a wild home stand. Last night the Cougars were down and out, trailing 6-2 with five minutes remaining in the second period, but managed to force their way back into a tie game and had it not been for a disallowed goal in overtime, they might have been able to fully complete the comeback. Down, but never out the Prince George Cougars showed a ton of character last night against one of the league’s top teams, and we’ll see if tonight’s game can equal the theatrics of last night. Never say never, it’s been that type of home stand.

Overview:

Ryan Huska’s Kelowna Rockets head into tonight’s game with a record of 10-2-0-2. They have won three straight games, and two consecutive games against the Prince George Cougars this season, and nine in a row altogether if you take last season into consideration. They are the top team in the B.C. Division, and will be ready for another heated battle tonight.

Who’s Up Front:

Last night the Rockets got offensive contributions from a number of their forwards, but perhaps the most important contributions came from rookie forward Justin Kirkland. After only playing six games with Kelowna last season, the 17-year-old had a goal, two assists and also had the shootout winner for the Rockets last night. Kelowna is a team that relies on depth and Kirkland showed last night that he can compliment guys like Tyson Baillie, Myles Bell and Zach Franko really well.

Who’s on D:

Rockets blueliner Madison Bowey was a force for Kelowna in last night’s game. Bowey had three assists and controlled the tempo extremely well in both ends of the ice for his team. The Washington Capitals prospect has 16 points in 14 games which ties him for second in team scoring. Another big game from Bowey would be a big boost for Kelowna tonight.

Who’s in Goal:

Fresh off his CHL Goaltender of the Month honors, 20-year-old Jordan Cooke had an up-and-down night for the Kelowna Rockets. He stopped 34 of the 40 shots thrown his way, but also came up big in the shootout stopping both Troy Bourke and David Soltes. Cooke has played in 11 of Kelowna’s 14 games so far, and might get a rest tonight while Jackson Whistle gets the start. But Kelowna may decide to run with Cooke again, so the goaltending for Kelowna tonight is anything but certain.

X-Factor:

The Kelowna Rockets penalty kill was full marks last night, as it has been all season long. The Rockets got into a tough stretch of penalties in the second period, and managed to kill off six straight before allowing the Cougars to score late in the second period. Had it not been for Kelowna’s penalty kill, maybe last night’s result is different. But the penalty killers were a major difference, and will probably have to be again tonight if Kelowna hopes to win.

Overview:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars earned a point last night in a game where even one point seemed like a long shot at the halfway point of the game. The Cougars have now earned points in four of their five games on this current home stand, but have only managed the one victory. If the Cougars can deliver with a win tonight, they’ll give themselves seven of 12 possible points on the home stand, which is a total that I think all Cougars fans and staff could live with, given the difficulty of the opponents that they’ve had to face.

Who’s Up Front:

Second year forward Zach Pochiro continues to play some of his best hockey for the Prince George Cougars. Pochiro had two more goals in last night’s game and is currently on a seven game point streak. Pochiro is an extremely difficult player to play against, and is showing right now exactly why the St. Louis Blues felt it necessary to trade up in the NHL draft to select him in the fourth round. Pochiro now has 11 points in nine career games against the Rockets.

Who’s on D:

As last night’s game wore on, the Prince George Cougars defense as a whole got better. Tonight the Cougars will need to take the effort from the game’s final 30 minutes, and use it for a full 60. Kelowna is a team that feasts on mistakes and tonight the Cougars will have be very mindful of their entries and exits. Last night the Cougars showed that when they work hard they can play with anybody in this league, and hopefully the defense can take some solace and confidence from that fact tonight.

Who’s in Goal:

Brett Zarowny will get the nod tonight for the Cougars after he relieved Ty Edmonds five minutes into last night’s game. Zarowny is slowly starting to return to form after a tough start to the season. He stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced last night, and most importantly gave his team a chance to win when things got tight towards the end. Hopefully tonight can be the night where Zarowny can grab his first victory, and get his confidence back to where it was last season during the first half of the season.

X-Factor:

Tonight the Prince George Cougars NEED a better start. While a four goal comeback is impressive it is hardly something that you want to make a habit of. Tonight the Cougars will need to be ready to go from the very first whistle. If the Cougars can replicate their effort from the back-half of last night’s game, they are going to give themselves every opportunity to win this game, and wrap up their home stand on a positive note.