Cougars Earn a 5-2 Win over Tri City on Teddy Bear Toss Night.
Saturday night in Prince George, the Prince George Cougars earned a 5-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans during Teddy Bear and Toque Toss night at the CN Centre. Tyler Mrkonjic scored the ‘Teddy Bear’ goal at 5:36 of the first period, and the Cougars never looked back. Troy Bourke had three assists, and Ty Edmonds made 29 saves to secure the Cougars 12th victory of the season.
Early in the first period the Prince George Cougars were forced to kill a penalty, but they did so without allowing much from the Americans. Moments after the successful penalty kill the Cougars had an offensive zone face off in the Tri-City zone, which helped set up the dramatic goal.
Jansen Harkins won a faceoff forward, and Tanner Lishchynsky pounced on a loose puck, centred it in front, and Tyler Mrkonjic snuck the puck through the legs of Eric Comrie and in to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
Down came the bears! Hundreds of them rained down from the stands at the CN Centre, but fortunately for the Cougars they were able to celebrate the goal up 1-0, and thanks to some great help from Minor Hockey players, and some Wood Wheaton vehicles, the bears were cleaned up in record time.
Late in the first the Cougars extended their lead to 2-0 when Troy Bourke found Jordan Tkatch in front of the net. Tkatch tipped home the Bourke pass for his sixth of the season, and the Cougars took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. The shots in the first were 11-11.
Midway through the second period the Cougars made it 3-0 thanks to a five-on-three power play chance. Todd Fiddler and Marc McNulty combined on a nice give-and-go play, and Fiddler buried a one-timer past a sprawled Eric Comrie for his 12th of the season.
That 3-0 goal would prove to be an important one, because the Tri-City Americans responded well.
Late in the second, Phillip Tot got Tri-City on the board when he raced down the right wing wide on the defense and beat Ty Edmonds with a high backhand shot. Tot’s ninth gave the Americans some offensive spark which they carried into the third period.
Eric Comrie made some tough saves early in the third for Tri-City and his team rewarded him with another goal just past the midway point of the third.
Tri-City had great offensive puck control in the Cougars zone and after some great cycling along the boards, the puck was freed to the left point where defenceman Brandon Carlo rifled one home to make the game 3-2.
Both teams traded chances in the final minutes. Eric Comrie made a big-time breakway stop off of Troy Bourke, and seconds later Ty Edmonds would make a glorious breakaway save of his own off of Lukas Nickles.
Comments
Nice win boys. It’s too bad few bothered to show up to see it (2498).
This of all games shows that PG shouldn’t have the Cougars any longer. This was Teddy Bear Toss Night. If this game can’t garner any support, nothing is going help.
This is the one game of the year where people used to put their opinions to the side, and would fill CN Centre. It was not only for the hockey, but to support a worthwhile charity. Plus it’s a total blast for children to toss their bears on to the ice.
It’s a good thing that Hockey Day in Canada in 2015 won’t be showing the Cougars game except in bits & pieces. I’d hate for the cameras to broadcast the sound of crickets in the seats.
It seems that most people cannot overlook ten years of a GM that has never had a team higher than third place. You can only change coaches so many times.
If they sold the team (or even put a new GM in place) myself and many more would be back the next game.
There are plenty of other charities to support. And there will be lots of activities around town to ensure Hockey Day will still be a success.
unfortunately ,I missed last nites game I concur with Dans opinion listed above..if we maintain the current Dallas record of 1 in 3 wins the Cougars will continue to lose community support.
At what point are people going to figure out that Brodsky is not going to make a move on the GM position or sell the team? It’s a family run team on three different levels.
So now it’s turned into a staring contest. People won’t come back until serious moves are made in the Cougars office. Brodsky isn’t going to make those moves. Who wins?
Maybe Nanaimo will win. The WHL wants a team there.
http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/western-hockey-league-seeks-nanaimo-team-rival-for-victoria-royals-1.116962
The Cougars’s lease with the City of PG runs out July 31, 2018. After that, all bets are off.
PG has 4 seasons after this year to try and show the WHL that the city still cares about this franchise. You may have to swallow some bile and show up to keep them here IMO.
Nanaimo is a viable option for relocation if they build a new facility. They have a metro population of 98,000+ to draw from.
Another city the WHL is looking at is Winnipeg, to give Brandon a rival.
Every article I’ve read thus far has tapped Prince George and/or Kootenay Ice being the teams most likely to move to these locations.
“It’s going to come down to the level of support they get and their ability to turn the team around. Ultimately it’s up to the team to perform both on and off the ice. Our goal is to keep the franchise in Prince George but that will depend on the level of support in the community.” – Ron Robinson, WHL Commissioner
The people in this town work hard for their money. Why should we pay that hard earned money to support a business who isn’t willing to put the best possible team on and off the ice? I am no longer willing to put money in the pockets of people who are refusing to make this team as a whole rise above the level of mediocrity it currently sits at, just so they don’t leave town. Judging by the empty seats in CN Centre, I am not the only one.
Brodsky will complain about numbers and how he loses money and if you believe the things you hear around town, he has turned down two offers from two different potential ownership groups.
It is my personal opinion that Brodsky is biding his time until he can move the team to a location where he will pull in big bucks and he will leave town saying that you never supported us so we had to leave, making the fans the bad guys and not him.
Pylot: ‘At what point are people going to figure out that Brodsky is not going to make a move on the GM position or sell the team? It’s a family run team on three different levels.”
Bingo. I have been saying this for as long as people have been calling on Brodsky to sell the team or fire his son in law. I actually believed recently that Dallas would be fired, but it appears his job is guaranteed, no matter how bad the team does.
As for the team moving, well… it may happen. But I wouldn’t expect much to change wherever they end up. The town they move to has to come to grips with this fact as well.
If The Moose’s opinion is that of the majority, then the Cougars days are truly numbered in PG. That would be a sad day. That’s not sarcasm on my part.
Maybe the Spruce Kings could fill the void in CN Centre if there was a vacancy. The City would have to offer a reasonable deal on the facility though, as the Spruce Kings are a non-profit organization.
Currently the Spruce Kings are pulling in almost as many people as the Cougars. They seem to have 1200-1300+ attending.
Whine, whine, whine. I went to the game last night and it was one of the best games I’ve attended. Funny, but I didn’t see Thompson nor Brodsky on the ice. I saw a lot of hard working young men doing their best and coming out a winner. Some of them we’ll be watching in the NHL and not too far off. These are kids like we used to be and they’re away from the comfort of their homes and families. Give them a break and support them. It’s time to cut the crap and forget the owner and manager. I’d sooner watch this than some of those prima donnas and overpaid goons in the NHL.
@JohnnyBelt
If the Cougars move to a new location such as Nanaimo, that’s much more attractive to a potential owner than PG. I’m just using these numbers for an example but say he could sell the team here for $3mil or move the team to Nanaimo and sell it to an ownership group there for $7mil.
Ans Sloth, I agree with you about the kids. They are the ones who suffer in all this. It must be brutal to come out and bust your butt to a arena with 1000 people in it. I used to have seasons tickets and we went to every game for several seasons. The product on the ice hasn’t much improved in the standings year after year. Players come and go, new coaches and still the same results. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the GM and owner.
“If the Cougars move to a new location such as Nanaimo, that’s much more attractive to a potential owner than PG. I’m just using these numbers for an example but say he could sell the team here for $3mil or move the team to Nanaimo and sell it to an ownership group there for $7mil.”
Maybe. If (and this is a big if) Brodsky sells the team. I doubt anyone is going to give Brodsky $3 Million or $7 Million no matter where the team is.
No idea where they are in the standings the past few seasons but just recently the Saskatoon Blades where purchased for $9mil. It’s also funny that the guy who purchased the Blades also tried to purchase the Cougars in the past. So if he paid $9mil for a team today then the figure of $3-5mil I have heard rumors being offered for the team a few years ago isn’t that far fetched.
36 Home games a year, is a lot of hockey for the soft hockey fans in this town.
This franchise will never get to the high numbers they had at the beginning. The initial bandwagon fans have gone on to other things.
We can blame Brodsky, or Thompson, but the fact of the matter is, most people in this town are not interested in Hockey. Certainly not to the point that 5000 more or less would attend 36 home games.
The franchise has been dead for years. It is on life support only because the taxpaying citizens of Prince George are keeping it alive. Increase their rent (as it should be) and they will be gone next year.
Prince George is always talking the talk, but rarely walking the walk.
Look to the Maple Leafs if you want to see real hockey fans supporting a losing team.
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