For the first time since December 2005, the Prince George Cougars have won five straight games. Friday night in Prince George, Adam Beukeboom turned aside 46 of Red Deer’s 49 shots, and Todd Fiddler had two goals and an assist en route to a 5-3 Cougars victory over the Red Deer Rebels. The win, coupled with Tri-City’s loss moves the Cougars four points behind the Americans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

Sam Ruopp opened the scoring for Prince George at 6:11 of the first period. Todd Fiddler won the puck free behind Red Deer’s goal and then fed a pass to Jansen Harkins along the left wing wall. Harkins then centered a pass to Ruopp who blasted one past Patrik Bartosak for his third goal of the season.

Mid-way through the first, Red Deer was given a five-on-three power play for a minute and 28 seconds, and they would soon find the equalizer. Brady Gaudet had his point shot stopped by Adam Beukeboom, but the rebound went right to Preston Kopeck who knocked it home for his 10th of the season.

1:22 later Red Deer took the lead just as the second Cougars penalty had expired. Haydn Fleury took a pass at the left point, and fired a shot home from the left point for his seventh of the season.

Red Deer took the 2-1 lead into the first intermission and had a 19-14 edge in the shots department.

Early in the second the Cougars tied it when Joseph Carvalho fired a shot home from the left point. Then under a minute later, Todd Fiddler notched his 33rd of the season off a beautiful pass from Jansen Harkins to give the Cougars the 3-2 lead. Brad Morrison then padded the Cougars lead at 8:06 when he banged home Zach Pochiro’s rebound out of mid-air for his seventh of the season.

Prince George took the 4-2 lead into the second intermission, but Red Deer still held the shots advantage: 33-30.

The Rebels responded positively in the third by completely controlling the play in the early minutes. Twice Rhyse Dieno was denied by Adam Beukeboom from in close, and those were just two of several key stops made by Beukeboom to keep  the Cougars ahead by two.

Red Deer made it a one-goal game at the 8:!2 mark of the third when Scott  Feser took the puck in from the right wing wall and snuck a shot past Beukeboom for his seventh of the season. But that would be the closest Red Deer would come to completing their comeback. Beukeboom kept the door shut the rest of the way, and Todd Fiddler then iced the game with an empty-netter to give the Cougars their 23rd win of the season, and fifth straight.

Despite being outshot 49-42, the Cougars managed to even their season series with Red Deer to 1-1. The Rebels went one-for-four on the power play while the Cougars went zero-for-three. Tomorrow night the Cougars will look to inch even closer to eighth place when they face Red Deer in the rematch at the CN Centre.