Tonight in Prince George, the suddenly surging Prince George Cougars will take aim at their sixth consecutive victory when they welcome the Red Deer Rebels for the Saturday night rematch at the CN Centre. Last night the Cougars managed a 5-3 victory due in large part to the great goaltending of Adam Beukeboom and some timely second period offense from their group. It’s been well documented this season that weekend sweeps are very difficult to accomplish, and tonight the Cougars will look to sweep their second home double-header of the season.

OVERVIEW:

Brent Sutter’s Red Deer Rebels come into tonight’s game with a 27-24-1-3 record. Their 58 points has them ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference and seven points ahead of the ninth placed Prince Albert Raiders. Red Deer have dropped five straight games, and despite playing some great hockey in flashes during that span, they haven’t been able to morph that into victories. Look for them to come out firing tonight as they will want to head home with something positive after dropping three straight in their Western road swing.

WHO’S UP FRONT:

20-year-old forward Rhyse Dieno has had somewhat of an interesting WHL career. At 16-years-old he played a handful of games for Kamloops before playing his entire 17-year-old season in the SJHL with the La Ronge Ice Wolves. After returning to the league as an 18-year-old with Medicine Hat he struggled offensively and appeared destined to finish his junior hockey career in Junior A. But along came the Red Deer Rebels who scooped him up last season, and ever since he has become a beacon of offensive consistency. Since joining the Rebels Dieno has recorded 109 points in 96 games, and currently sits second in team scoring with 50 points. Dieno had an assist last night but had two or three glorious chances to score, only to be denied by Adam Beukeboom. Look for Dieno to try and make amends for those misses tonight.

WHO’S ON D:

17-year-old defenceman Haydn Fleury showed (again) last night why scouts consider him to be the ‘real deal.’ Defensively Fleury was outstanding for Red Deer, breaking up numerous rushes with his speed and his smarts. He also chipped in with a goal and an assist and was named third star for his efforts. Haydn Fleury plays the game with a lot of composure, and fans can definitely expect to see Fleury’s name called early in the 2014 NHL Draft.

WHO’S IN GOAL:

Despite surrendering four goals against last night, Patrik Bartosak (at least in this writer’s opinion) did not play poorly by any means. The goals that beat him with tough shots from  tough spots, and to his credit, Bartosak battled hard and continued to give his team a chance by keeping the game close. In all likelihood, Bartosak will get the tap on the back again tonight from head coach Brent Sutter, and fans should expect nothing short of the same type of intensity and effort from the reigning CHL Goaltender of the Year.

X-FACTOR:

Whether they are winning 5-0 or losing 4-2, one thing is certain with the Red Deer Rebels. They. Will. Work. Last night in the third period the Rebels trailed by two goals, and they did all they could to try and tie the score. If not for some timely stops from Adam Beukeboom, it’s probably a tied-game or worse for the Prince George Cougars in the third. In order to get out of a losing streak, it often requires a maximum amount of effort and a little bit of luck. It’s a given that the Red Deer Rebels are going to come out swinging tonight, and the Cougars are going to have to match that desire if they want to earn their sixth straight win.

OVERVIEW:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars come into tonight’s game with a record of 23-26-2-3 and are now 11 points ahead of their progress from a season ago with 16 games still remaining in their schedule. Over the course of their five game winning streak, the Cougars have won in a number of different ways, but the one constant has been a strong level of compete and some timely offense. Tonight the Cougars are going to be in tough against a growly Red Deer group trying to snap a five-game losing skid of their own.

WHO’S UP FRONT:

With two goals and an assist, Todd Fiddler continues to supply steady offense for the Cougars. Fresh off of being named January Player of the Month for both the team and the league, Fiddler now has five points in first two February games. He and linemates Klarc Wilson and Jansen Harkins delivered in the clutch again last night, and here’s hoping that those three have similar magic up their sleeves again tonight.

WHO’S ON D:

One of the major positives stemming from last night’s game was the offensively contributions from the back end. Both Sam Ruopp and Joseph Carvalho scored for the Cougars giving them each three goals now on the season. When the defense chips in offensively, it’s amazing what type of positive effect that can have on a team. Tonight it will have to be a ‘defense first’ type of mentality, but if the Cougars can continue to supply some secondary scoring from the back end, it would sure bode well for their winning streak to continue.

WHO’S IN GOAL:

With two excellent goaltending performances in a row, it’s no secret that Adam Beukeboom will get the nod tonight in goal for his third straight start. Adam Beukeboom has turned aside 84 of his past 89 shots faced, and has more than done his part to help his team win games lately. Hopefully Beukeboom can carry that same type of confidence into tonight’s rematch with Red Deer.

X-FACTOR:

Tonight the message doesn’t change. Avoid complacency and focus on the task at hand. The Cougars are now just four points back of eighth place with 16 games left in their season. Tonight they have a chance to inch a little closer provided they take care of business against Red Deer and Spokane can beat Tri-City. All the Cougars can do is control their own destiny, and that will involve a complete team effort against a hard-working Red Deer opponent. The Cougars haven’t won six in a row since October 2005, and tonight they will once again have a chance to gain back a few non-believers and (hopefully) inch a little closer to a playoff spot provided all goes well.