Tonight at the CN Centre the Prince George Cougars and the Tri-City Americans will meet for just the second time this season. As the midway point of the season draws closer it’s hard to ignore the importance of these next two games from a standings perspective. The Tri-City Americans have a nine point edge on the Cougars for seventh place in the Western Conference standings, and if the Cougars want to inch their way back into the playoff picture, they NEED victories against the teams directly ahead of them in the standings. These teams will square off three times in the next calendar week, and tonight the Cougars will hope to get off to a positive start.

Overview:

Jim Hiller’s TrI-City Americans come into tonight’s game with a record of 16-12-1-2. They’re 35 points have them ranked seventh in the Western Conference nine points ahead of the ninth placed Cougars. The Ams have won two straight games and are 5-4-1-0 in their past 10 altogether. This season they are 0-1 against the Cougars having dropped a 2-1 score to them back on September 22nd in Kennewick.

Who’s Up Front:

With 20 goals and 30 points through 31 games, third year forward Brian Williams is the undisputed offensive catalyst for the Tri-City Americans. The 18-year-old California product has already matched his goal output from last season and needs just six more points to tie last season’s point total. Williams hasn’t scored a goal in four games, but his team has managed to win games despite his mini slump. The Cougars hoping not to awaken a sleeping giant this weekend.

Who’s on D:

The Tri-City Americans are dealing with some key injuries on the back end. Captain Mitch Topping and fellow veteran defenceseman Wil Tomchuk are both out with long-term injuries, which means that more of an onus is placed on the shoulders of the younger players to make an impact. Sound familiar? Well one defenceman who has stepped up is 19-year-old Justin Hamonic. Hamonic is now sporting the ‘C’ for the Ams with Topping’s absence, and you can expect to see a ton of him tonight against the Cougars top line. There is nothing flashy about Hamonic’s game, but he’s steady, smart and experienced and is a major key to their success on the back end.

Who’s in Goal:

There are some players in the WHL that are worth the price of admission on their own. Tri-City goaltender Eric Comrie is one of those players. The Winnipeg Jets prospect gives his team a legitimate chance to win every time he takes the ice. Comrie is 13-10-1-2 this season but his save percentage is .926 and his goals-against-average is 2.41. Back in September, the Cougars earned a 2-1 win over Tri-City, and it could have been much worse had it not been to the spectacular play of Eric Comrie.

X-Factor:

With nine points in his past six games, 19-year-old forward Connor Rankin is having another terrific season for the Tri-City Americans. Last season Rankin chipped in with 32 goals and 58 points, and his numbers are looking to be similar this season when all is said and done. The tandem of Brian Williams and Connor Rankin is as good as any in the WHL and the Cougars will need to keep them in check as best as possible this weekend.

Overview:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars are coming into tonight’s game with four wins in their past 10 games. The lately for the Cougars has been win one, lose one, win one, lose one. And while there’s nothing glaringly wrong with that type of trend, it doesn’t help that the teams immediately in front of the Cougars keep winning games. Somehow the Cougars (11-16-1-3) need to start gaining some traction and it needs to happen sooner than later.  The Cougars haven’t won more than two games in a row all season long, and while 41 games still remain, a substantial winning streak needs to take place sooner than later. Could tonight be the start of it?

Who’s Up Front:

With 17 points in 11 November games, Todd Fiddler was an offensive stud for the Cougars in his first full month in Prince George. Given the injuries to David Soltes, Zach Pochiro, Jari Erricson along with the suspension to Troy Bourke, Fiddler has had to shoulder a bunch of the offensive load and has done so very admirably in recent games. Once again it will be up to the likes of Todd Fiddler, Chase Witala and Alex Forsberg to answer the bell offensively tonight against a very tough Tri-City Americans squad.

Who’s on D:

Tonight marks the 100th career game in the WHL for 18-year-old defenceman Marc McNulty. With six goals and 14 points, Marc McNulty leads all Cougars defenceman and is now just one point shy of matching last season’s point total. McNulty has four points in his past four games, and hopefully tonight he can continue to provide some much needed offensive spark from the back end.

Who’s in Goal:

Given the injury to Brett Zarowny, the ball is now Ty Edmonds’ to run with. Edmonds had a tough November going just 1-5, but he’s showed some positive signs in recent weeks, and hopefully the month of December can be a turning point in his development. Back in September, Edmonds got his first WHL start against Tri-City, and stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced en route to victory. Hopefully Edmonds can continue that type of success here tonight.

X-Factor:

The prerogative for the Prince George Cougars doesn’t change in the least from last weekend. Rather than worrying about who isn’t available, the Cougars need to focus on who is. Despite the fact that the Cougars are only going to be able to roll three forward lines and seven defencemen, they need to find a way to compete and win. Tonight the Cougars will need to be disciplined and opportunistic with their chances. If it’s another 2-1 type of the game that the Cougars need to win, then so be it. Eric Comrie won’t make it easy, but then again the Cougars have had nothing easy handed to them all season, so why should tonight be any different?