Tonight in Red Deer the Prince George Cougars will end a stretch of five consecutive games away from home. So far they are 2-2 on their current stretch, and a victory tonight would make this Alberta road trip a resounding success given all of the travel that the Cougars have dealt with in November. And finding the proper motivation shouldn't be difficult after an 8-3 victory at Rexall Place in Edmonton last night. Now the Cougars will set their sights on a hungry Red Deer Rebels team who are in an identical standings situation to that of the Prince George Cougars.

OVERVIEW:

Brent Sutter's Red Deer Rebels are a team in a strikingly similar situation to that of the Prince George Cougars. Some good, some bad, and some ugly through 25 games, and yet here they are right in the thick of things with a record of 11-12-0-2. With 24 points the Rebels sit three points back of the eighth placed Wheat Kings in the Eastern Conference standings. Last season they were 2-1 against the Cougars and went 1-1 on home ice against them.

WHO'S UP FRONT:

Sophomore forward Connor Bleakley leads the Red Deer Rebels with 10 goals and 25 points through 25 games so far this season. Bleakley has really come into his own this season, and should be a high target come June and the 2014 NHL Draft. Bleakley hasn't scored a goal in four games though, and has only managed two points in that span. Tonight the Cougars are hoping that Bleakley doesn't decide to breakout.

WHO'S ON D:

The departure of Mathew Dumba has left a hole on the back end, but second year defender Haydn Fleury has taken full advantage of the increased responsibility and playing time. Fleury leads all Rebels blueliners with 16 points and is even in the plus-minus column. The Cougars can expect to see a ton of Fleury tonight.

WHO'S IN GOAL:

One position where the Red Deer Rebels seldom have to worry about is between the pipes. 20-year-old Patrik Bartosak is the reigning CHL Goaltender of the Year, and gives his team a chance to win every single time he takes the ice. This season Bartosak has played in 22 of Red Deer's 25 games, and has put together a record of 10-9-0-2 with a .916 save percentage and a 2.93 goals-against-average.

X-FACTOR:

20-year-old Rebels forward Rhyse Dieno has put together a very solid stretch where he's recorded at least one point in six of his past seven games. Last season Dieno came from obscurity to score 27 goals and 59 points for Red Deer, three of which came against the Prince George Cougars. Dieno certainly compliments Connor Bleakley well, and the Cougars will need to be aware of Dieno and his skillset tonight.

OVERVIEW:

Mark Holick's Prince George Cougars have had a Jeckyl and Hyde type of week so far. Two nights ago in Calgary the Cougars were beaten 3-0 and the effort level left much to be desired. Fast forward to last night in Edmonton an the Prince George Cougars were terrific in all areas en route to an 8-3 victory in Edmonton. So will the real Prince George Cougars please stand up! Tonight is a huge game for the Cougars who are playing their third game in three nights, but have a chance to end a five game road swing with a plus .500 record.

WHO'S UP FRONT:

In the Western Hockey League, your best players need to be your best players on a nightly basis. Last night the Cougars top guns were far and away better than their counterparts in Edmonton. Todd Fiddler scored three goals and five points, Troy Bourke added two goals and two assists, and Chase Witala chipped in with his team leading 15th and 16th goals of the season. The Cougars don't neccessarily need a repeat performance from the above names, but another solid two-way outing from them would be big, and dare we say essential to the Cougars success tonight.

WHO'S ON D:

To a man the Cougars defense-corps was awesome in last night's game with Red Deer. Led by veteran Peter Kosterman, the Cougars were physical, simple and safe in their own end, and it let to countless positive results at the other end. Kosterman was a +4 last night and played one of his better games of the season. Tonight the Cougars don't have to face guys like Curtis Lazar, Henrik Samuelsson and Mitch Moroz, but the mission and the urgency can't change. If the Cougars play the same way defensively tonight they will give themselves every opportunity to win.

WHO'S IN GOAL:

After starting the first two games of the Alberta road trip, Brett Zarowny will likely be getting the night off in favor of Ty Edmonds. Edmonds is still looking for his first November victory, and looking to recapture some of the confidence that led him to some CHL weekly award honors back in October. Edmonds has a very strong skillset, and you know that he'll be ready to battle tonight in Red Deer should his number indeed be called.

X-FACTOR:

Consistency has not exactly been the Cougars forte this season. On one hand the Cougars have always tended to bounce back from bad outings with wins, but they've had trouble stringing those type of efforts together consecutively. Tonight there is real opportunity for the Cougars to make a statement and show that last night's decisive result in Edmonton wasn't just a fluke, but that this team is capable of such dominance when all systems are clicking properly.