The Prince George Cougars have been on the road since January 22nd, and now after nine busy days of hockey, travel and okay, a little bit of fun too, the Prince George Cougars are set to wrap up their eastern road trip tonight in Swift Current. So far on the trip, the Cougars are 3-2 and are winners of three straight. Standing in their way tonight is the top team in the Eastern Division, the Swift Current Broncos.

OVERVIEW:

Mark Lamb’s Swift Current Broncos come into tonight’s game with a 26-18-2-6 record. They have gone five games without a regulation loss and are two points ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings for first place in the Eastern Division.

WHO’S UP FRONT:

Offensively the Swift Current Broncos have been led all season by 20-year-old New Jersey Devils prospect Graham Black. With 26 goals and 68 points, Black leads the team in both goals and assists and sits fifth in league scoring (just point ahead of Todd Fiddler). Black has points in each of his past five games and has totaled five goals and nine points in that span.

WHO’S ON D:

It has truly been a dream season for Swift Current Broncos rookie/import defenceman Julius Honka. With 12 goals and 30 assists, Honka leads all Swift Current blueliners in points. Back in January, Honka won a gold medal with Finland at the 2014 World Junior Championships and currently sits second overall in WHL rookie scoring.

WHO’S IN GOAL:

The Swift Current Broncos boast two very capable and talented netminders. First there is 20-year-old netminder Eetu Laurikainen who is 17-13-0-5 with a 2.59 goals-against-average and a .926 save percentage. Backing him up is the 6’4” Landon Bow.  The 18-year-old Bow is 9-5-2-1 this season with a 2.98 goals-against-average and a save percentage of .906.

X-FACTOR:

Few teams in the East can rival the Swift Current Broncos when it comes to offensive and defensive depth. The Broncos boast four different point-per-game forwards: Colby Cave, Graham Black, Nathan Burns and Coda Gordan and they also have as good a top-four defensively as any team in the WHL. This means that the Cougars need to stay aware regardless of who is on the ice against them.

OVERVIEW:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars have clawed their way back to within four points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference thanks to their 2-1 victory last night in Moose Jaw. For the first time all season, the Cougars have won three straight, and can certainly help their own playoff cause with a win tonight in Swift Current. With 18 games remaining in the regular season, the Cougars have 36 available points at their disposal. They’ve already finished this road-trip with a .500 record, but a 4-2 clip would make for a very happy bus ride home this evening.

WHO’S UP FRONT:

With 16 goals and 29 points in 14 January games, Todd Fiddler should be a no-brainer for WHL Player of the Month for January. Fiddler had eight multi-point games in January and helped pave the way last night for his team with a goal and an assist. Not since Brett Connolly have the Cougars had such a reliable offensive threat, and hopefully those outstanding numbers can continue into February and March.

WHO’S ON D:

What a month it was for Cougars defenceman Marc McNulty. He finished January with seven goals and 15 points through 14 games, and on most nights did that while playing a ton of minutes against the opposing team’s top players. Tonight will certainly be a challenge for McNulty as he’ll have to tangle with a number of elite players on the Swift Current roster. But the 6’6” Detroit Red Wings prospect is certainly capable, and hopefully he’s good for one more top-notch performance here in Saskatchewan.

WHO’S IN GOAL:

Last night Ty Edmonds was the real deal for Cougars. He faced 22 shots and stopped 21 of them, and looked calm and poised in the process. Edmonds has started four straight games, and might be in line for a rest tonight in favor of Adam Beukeboom. Regardless of who gets the nod, it will be important for either guy to give his team a chance to win. Swift Current is a relentless team that will challenge you from all areas. Goaltending will be a major factor tonight for both sides.

X-FACTOR:

Do. Not. Settle. Sure the Cougars have already guaranteed themselves a .500 record for this trip, and have gotten themselves back into striking distance of eighth place. But the Cougars haven’t won four games in a row since the 2011-2012 season, and tonight they have an opportunity to do so. Time to dig deep and battle hard, and hopefully they still have a little gas left in the tank.