Fresh off a 5-1 victory last night in Kennewick, the Prince George Cougars return to action tonight in Spokane against Mitch Holmberg and the Spokane Chiefs. With last night's victory the Cougars have inched a little closer to eighth place in the West, but now they'll need to try and build off of last night's success in one of the toughest buildings in the entire WHL.

Overview:

Don Nachbar's Spokane Chiefs come into tonight's game with the sixth best record in the Western Conference. With a record of 19-12-0-2 the Chiefs have 40 points, and are one point clear to the seventh placed Vancouver Giants. The Chiefs are 4-5-0-1 in their past 10 games.

Who's Up Front:

With 35 goals in 32 games, Spokane's undisputed offensive leader is 20-year-old Mitch Holmberg. The product of Sherwood Park, AB leads the entire WHL with 70 points and has 17 goals and 32 points in his past 17 games. Back on November 15th, Holmberg had two goals and two assists in a 5-2 victory for Spokane against Prince George.

Who's on D:

The veteran duo of Reid Gow and Jason Fram have combined for 63 points in 33 games defensively for the Spokane Chiefs. Gow is listed as week-to-week on the WHL injury sheet, but Fram is likely A-okay. The Spokane Chiefs always seem to get steady contributions from the defense on offense, and it will be important for the Cougars to keep that in mind tonight.

Who's in Goal:

Yet again the Cougars are likely going to be facing one of the most steady and consistent goaltenders in the Western Conference. 20-year-old Eric Williams doesn't have too many off nights, and this season he has put together another solid campaign through his first 25 games. So far this season he is 16-8-0-1 with a 2.57 goals-against-average and a save percentage of .908. He is 1-0 this season against the Cougars. His backup is 18-year-old Garrett Hughson who has appeared in 10 games this season and has a record of 3-4-0-1.

X-Factor:

Like last night, the Prince George Cougars are once again facing a team that is hosting their Teddy Bear Toss. That means that close to 10,000 fans could be on hand tonight in Spokane and the usually hostile crowd will be even moreso tonight. Like last night, the longer it takes for the Chiefs to score the Teddy Bear goal, the better off the Cougars will be. Surely the Chiefs MO will be to put as many pucks towards the Cougars net as possible in the early stages of the game.

Overview:

Mark Holick's Prince George Cougars have earned points in six of their past 10 games, and come into tonight's matchup with an overall record of 13-17-2-3. Last night the Cougars put forth one of their most consistent outings of the season to date, and got solid contributions in all areas. Once again tonight is all about 'traction' for the Cougars and trying to build off a positive performance. The Cougars haven't won back-to-back games since early October, and a win tonight would put the Cougars back within four points of eighth with one game remaining before the holiday break.

Who's Up Front:

Nobody on the Prince George Cougars is hotter than 20-year-old forward Todd Fiddler, and that is bad news for the Spokane Chiefs. Fiddler has points in each of the past eight games, and in that span he has scored seven goals and 15 points. Since joining the Cougars he has scored 12 goals and has added 21 points in 15 games. Tonight's game could very well be the final time Todd Fiddler plays in Spokane against the team with which he scored 42 goals and 77 points last season.

Who's on D:

Last night in Kennewick the Prince George Cougar defense-corps answered the bell in a number of different ways. They were physical, patient and made very few mistakes in their own zone. Tonight the task is even tougher as the likes of Marc McNulty, Peter Kosterman and Sam Ruopp will have to try and shutdown the league's top scorer. But with great challenge comes great opportunity, and the Cougars will need to be aware and disciplined tonight, particularly against the Spokane Chiefs' top line.

Who's in Goal:

Last night was Ty Edmonds strongest outing in quite some time. The 17-year-old rookie turned aside 31 of the 32 shots he faced, including two breakaway saves. His rebound control was outstanding, and he was a very calming influence between the pipes for Prince George. Tonight, he'll look for a repeat performance, and the Cougars will probably need a similar outing from him if they want to take down the Chiefs at home. Edmonds is 10-9-1-2 with two shutouts and a save percentage of .904.

X-Factor:

The game plan for tonight's game stays the exact same as it did for last night. Try and score first, and take the rowdy crowd out of the game. When playing in a visiting Teddy Bear Game, it's quite important to score the first goal. That way the Teddy Bear goal doesn't give Spokane the lead or any added momentum. If the Cougars can stay disciplined and get off to another fast start tonight on the road, they could very well find themselves just four points back of eighth when all is said and done tonight.