Are your bears ready? Tonight it’s the annual Teddy Bear and Toque Toss game for the Prince George Cougars as they once again face the Tri-City Americans. Last night the Cougars were able to gain a little ground in the Western Conference standings, thanks to the single point gained in the overtime loss. But tonight, the Cougars will need two, plus a little help in the standings. Teddy Bear Toss is always a fun night for the fans, but it can also be a tough night for the players who face the added pressure of scoring at least one goal, and when the opposing goaltender is (likely) Eric Comrie, the task is made all the more difficult.

Overview:

Jim Hiller’s Tri-City Americans earned a 4-3 overtime victory last night over the Prince George Cougars. The win was their third straight and 17th of the 2013-2014 season. Despite some injury struggles of their own, the Americans were able to stick with it, and were able to grind out a win on the road. At 17-12-1-2, the Ams are 10 points ahead of the Prince George Cougars for seventh place in the Western Conference standings.

Who’s Up Front:

Usually when Connor Rankin and Brian Williams are kept off the score sheet, it bodes well for the opposition. But unfortunately for the Cougars they didn’t count on 19-year-old forward Lukas Nickles performing the way that he did. Nickles had a goal and two assists last night for Tri-City and was named the game’s first star for his efforts. After a 27 point season last year, Nickles is well on his way to trump that total. His speed and his smarts were on full display last night, and the Cougars will need to be mindful of his talents tonight in the rematch.

Who’s on D:

The Tri-City Americans injury situation is as such that they need some forwards to help play defense. One of those converted defenceman is 16-year-old Braden Purtill who had the overtime winner last night for Tri-City. The 16-year-old Winnipeg, MB product played an awesome game for Tri-City last night, and looked like a savvy veteran on the back-end. It’s very difficult to find players that can excel both up front and on the back-end, let alone a player who can do it so well at such a young age. Has Purtill played well enough on the backend to warrant a full-time position change? Quite possibly, yes!

Who’s in Goal:

For the second time in their season series, Tri-City netminder Eric Comrie has been sensational against the Prince George Cougars. Comrie faced 41 shots last night and stopped 38 of them. He was particularly sharp in the third period when he stopped 17 of the 18 shots thrown his way. Comrie showed last night why he is considered by many to be the top goaltender in the league, and you know that if he’s given the nod tonight that he’ll be focused on not allowing that Teddy Bear goal to be scored anytime soon.

X-Factor:

While the Cougars have struggled earning double-header sweeps this season, the same can be said for other teams. Only twice this season has an opponent come into the CN Centre and won both games of a double-header. Tri-City has already earned the split, but now it will be important for them to start from scratch, and put last night’s result behind them. If they can score an early goal or two, and quiet the crowd, they will give themselves a great chance to secure that weekend sweep.

Overview:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars come into tonight’s game with a record of 11-16-2-3. They’ve earned at least a point in five of their past 10 games altogether, and are now just six points back of the eighth placed Vancouver Giants in the Western Conference standings. The Cougars are still decimated by injuries, but they’ve shown in recent games that they’re more than capable of staying with teams and putting themselves into a position to succeed. Tonight though there will have to be some mental adjustments and some improvements made.

Who’s Up Front:

When the Prince George Cougars needed a goal and needed a spark, 20-year-old Todd Fiddler once again delivered. Since joining the Prince George Cougars, Fiddler has tallied nine goals and 18 points in 12 games, and has seemed to rediscover that offensive consistency that he had through the entire 2012-2013 season. Fiddler is as good a candidate as any to be the Teddy Bear goal-scorer, and hopefully tonight he can make another strong offensive impact.

Who’s on D:

Defensively the Cougars had their moments of glory and their moments of shame in last night’s game with Tri-City. The one glaring positive on the backend was rookie Sam Ruopp who continues to take advantage of his added responsibility and playing time. Ruopp assisted on the second Cougars goal last night, and more important was a calming influence on the backend. There is absolutely nothing flashy about Sam Ruopp’s game, but if he continues to play well he’s going to earn even more ice time and responsibility, and surely NHL scouts will begin to take more notice as the season progresses.

Who’s in Goal:

Much like the defense, goaltender Ty Edmonds had some highs and lows last night against Tri-City. With Ty Edmonds it’s sometimes hard to remember that he’s still a rookie getting his feet wet in the WHL. He’s the type of player that is wise beyond his years and  is going to be a real stud in this league with a little more time and seasoning. That said he went nose-to-nose with Eric Comrie and did enough between the pipes to give his team a chance. But the blunt reality is that Ty Edmonds still has to be better, and tonight in the rematch he will have to once again find a way to stay composed and solid as his team looks to gain some more ground in the Western Conference standings.

X-Factor:

The sooner the Teddy Bear goal can be scored, the better. The longer the game goes without the Cougars scoring a goal, the more stressful the situation becomes. Ideally the Cougars can strike within the first five-10 minutes of the first period, get the distraction over with, and then simply focus on the task at hand. The bigger task at hand tonight is two points, and the sooner they can shrug off the Teddy Bear distraction, the easier it will be for them to keep their focus on the bigger picture.