Tonight in Prince George, the Cougars play host to the Spokane Chiefs for the first of back-to-back meetings on home ice. Altogether it’s the second of three straight meetings between these two teams, and if Saturday’s game in Spokane is any indication, these teams are in for an exciting and hard-fought battle tonight. Spokane emerged victorious Saturday with a 3-2 victory, and tonight the Cougars will look to win their fifth game in their last six and build some more positive traction before their break begins on Thursday.

SPOKANE CHIEFS

Overview:

Don Nachbaur’s Spokane Chiefs have won two straight games and are 5-5 in their last 10 games overall. The Chiefs are ranked third in the U.S. Division and fifth overall in a crowded Western Conference. So far this season the Chiefs are 1-1 against the Cougars and have a road record of 8-5-1-0. Their overall record is 16-12-3-0.

Who’s Up Front:

With the game tied 2-2 late in the third period on Saturday night it was 20-year-old forward Liam Stewart who deflected home a Keanu Yamamoto shot from the right wing. For Stewart it was his 11^th goal of the season and 20^th point. Coming into tonight, Stewart has 43 career goals and 56 career assists meaning his next point in the WHL will be the 100^th of his career. Stewart leads all Chiefs with three goals in two games this season against the Cougars.

Who’s on D:

All season it has been a struggle for the Spokane Chiefs defensively because of their injuries. With Colton Bobyk and Matt Sozanski both missing for an extended period of time, a lot of extra minutes have been placed on the likes of Evan Fiala, Tyson Helgesen, Jeff Rayman and Jordan Henderson. Despite the fact that the Chiefs blueline is very young, they’ve managed to hold their own this season en route to an impressive record.

Who’s in Goal:

Saturday night’s goaltending battle between Spokane’s Garret Hughson and Prince George’s Ty Edmonds was one of the many highlights of a close and exciting game. Both were excellent when counted upon, and on that particular day, Hughson made the one extra save necessary to give his team the victory. The 19-year-old is now 11-8-3-0 with a 2.74 goals-against-average and a .903 save percentage. Does his Saturday performance earn him the nod again tonight? Or will Tyson Verhelst start the first of back-to-back games in Prince George?

X-Factor:

Chiefs forward Adam Helewka has been an offensive stud for the Chiefs this season and Saturday was no exception. Helewka scored his 16^th of the season, and was among the most dangerous and most consistent Spokane forwards in their 3-2 victory. After an impressive sophomore campaign a year ago, Helewka is showing that he doesn’t need Mitch Holmberg and Mike Aviani to be successful and he’s more than capable of being the offensive leader and catalyst for this team.

PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS

Overview:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars come into tonight’s game with a 17-16-0-0 record. They sit third in the B.C. Division and sixth in the Western Conference just two points back of Victoria and one point back of both Spokane and  Tri-City. Despite Saturday’s setback, the Cougars are winners of four of their past five games, and are playing some of their most confident hockey of the season.

Who’s Up Front:

Zach Pochiro is currently in the midst of an eight game point streak. Over that span, Pochiro has scored five goals and seven assists and has provided the Cougars with a strong presence in all areas of the ice. Pochiro’s been strong in the faceoff circle, terrific on the penalty kill and he’s playing with more discipline than in previous seasons. A big night from Pochiro again tonight would go a long way to help them return to the win column.

Who’s on D:

Give all the credit in the world to Cougars assistant coach Mike Hengen and the Cougars defenceman who went to battle this past weekend without the Cougars top defenceman and captain Sam Ruopp. Without Ruopp the Cougars played well defensively in both games, and did what they had to do to give the Cougars a realistic chance to win two games. That all said, the Cougars will be elated to welcome Sam Ruopp back to the lineup tonight at home. You know that Ruopp is going to be fired up to return and hopefully that has a positive trickle effect on everybody else out there. When Sam Ruopp is at his best, there are few other defenceman in the league that can combine his physicality and his offensive instincts.

Who’s in Goal:

Despite the loss on Saturday, Ty Edmonds continues to play great hockey for the Cougars during the month of December. So far in six starts in December he’s 4-2 with a 2.85 goals-against-average and a .910 save percentage. Three of his four December wins have come on the road, which makes his totals even more impressive.

X-Factor:

With just two games remaining in the Cougars schedule before the holiday break I’m sure that it’s very easy for players to look ahead a few days, and think about their trip home to see their families. That said, it is imperative that the Cougars put their entire focus on the task at hand, and that is the Spokane Chiefs. A win or two for the Cougars this week would only make their trip home that much sweeter. Not only that, but the Cougars should have revenge on their minds as they look to atone for their loss on Saturday. These two games are going to be extremely close and hard-fought, and hopefully the Cougars are willing to dig as deep as possible and leave nothing left in the tank after these two games. If they do that, they’ll be successful.