For just the second time since March, 2011 the Prince George Cougars earned a victory at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. Zach Pochiro broke up a 3-3 tie with under two minutes remaining in the third period, and the Cougars held on for a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. Pochiro paced the Cougars with two goals while Brad Morrison added a goal and an assist. Rookie Tavin Grant earned the victory in goal to improve his record to 2-1 on the season.

One night removed from a tough loss in Kamloops, Mark Holick preached work-ethic and better attention to detail defensively ahead of Saturday’s game with Vancouver – The third meeting for the Cougars against the Giants in less than a calendar week. It didn’t take long for the Cougars to respond.

12 seconds into the first period, Aaron Macklin dropped the gloves with Giants forward Dakota Odgers, in what was a spirited tilt that got both benches excited early. Macklin and Odgers were both ejected from the game, but the message had been sent: The Cougars were not going to be pushed around.

Kody McDonald scored the game’s first goal at the 12:09 mark of the first period off a Joe Carvalho rebound. Giants goaltender Cody Porter made the initial save, but Kody McDonald hopped on the rebound and lifted a backhand over the right pad and in for his third of the season.

Brad Morrison extended the Cougars lead to 2-0 at 18:29 when he beat Porter with a low shot that snuck it’s way through some bodies in front of the Giants goal.

After one period the Cougars led 2-0 and were outshooting Vancouver 14-9.

At the halfway point of the second period, the Cougars still held a 2-0 lead, but Vancouver started to find some life. They received three striaght power plays, and came awfully close to getting on the board, but Tavin Grant held the door shut and kept his team ahead. His best save came off of Carter Popoff on a cross ice pass from Jackson Houck. Popoff had a lot of open net, but Grant slid across and stopped the shot with his stick to keep the game at 2-0.

Later though on the same power play Vancouver got on the board when 20-year-old Matt Bellerive beat Tavin Grant with a wraparound on his backhand. For Bellerive it was his eighth of the season.

Back came the Cougars just over four minutes later. Brad Morrison kept a puck in along the left wing wall, and sent a pass behind the Giants goal to Jared Bethune. Bethune centered the puck to Zach Pochiro who made no mistake from the left circle, and the Cougars restored their two-goal lead.

After two periods, the shots were: 23-14.

Ealry in the third the Giants inched a little closer when Carter Popoff took a Jakub Stukul pass and beat a sliding Tavin Grant up high.

Matt Bellerive tied the game at 15:34 on a deflection from a point shot of Mason Geertsen and for a second time this week, the Giants had erased a two goal deficit against the Cougars.

The game seemed destined for overtime, but with less than two minutes remaining the Cougars got some puck luck. A Giants clearing attempt took a weird bounce off of an official and bounced out in front of the Giants goal. The first player to arrive at the loose puck was Zach Pochiro who snuck a shot past Porter and in for his second of the night and second of the season.

From there, the Cougars held off the Giants for the remaining 1:12 to secure their 13th victory of the season. The final shot tally was:34-22 in favor of the Cougars. Goaltender Tavin Grant earned his second career victory in front of his friends and family from nearby Burnaby, B.C.

Vancouver finished one-for-five on the power play while the Cougars went zero-for-four. The win improves the Cougars record to 13-13 and 4-3 against the Giants this season. The Cougars are now tied for third place in the B.C. Division with the Kamloops Blazers.

Now the Cougars will return home to face the Regina Pats on Wednesday night at the CN Centre.