This afternoon in Vancouver, the Prince George Cougars and Vancouver Giants will clash for the first time this season. These B.C. Division foes have had some epic battles over the years, and this year promises to bring more of the same. Last season the Cougars and Giants each won four matchups against the other, and with both teams tied for points at this stage of the season it’s safe to say that fans can expect some more evenly matched competition this time around.

VANCOUVER GIANTS

Overview:

Lorne Molleken’s Vancouver Giants are coming into this afternoon’s game with a record of 4-5-1-1. Their 10 points currently has them ranked fourth in the B.C. Division and seventh overall in the Western Conference. After starting the season with victories in three of their first four games, the Giants have cooled somewhat managing just one win in their past seven games. All in all, the Giants have recorded at least a point in five of their past 10 games and at home they are 3-2. It’s no secret that over the years the Pacific Coliseum has been a very difficult place for the Cougars to play and win.

Who’s Up Front:

Offensively the Vancouver Giants have been led by a trio of talented forwards: Carter Popoff, Jackson Houck and Ty Ronning. Popoff leads the group with 12 points (five of which are goals) while Ty Ronning leads the way with seven goals in 11 games. Houck is a terrific playmaker and he always seems to bring his best when the Cougars are involved. In fact Houck had 11 points in eight games against Prince George a season ago and has 15 goals and 13 assists in 29 career games against the Cougars.

Who’s on D:

Defensively the Giants are young but they possess a nice mix of size, skill and talent. Offensively Clayton Kirichenko, a 1996-born d-man leads the Giants with eight points in 11 games. Fellow 1996-born defenceman Josh Thrower compliment’s Kirichenko’s game nicely with his tough, abrasive style and Brennan Menell has seven points in 10 games and is looking to do some big things in his second full season in the WHL.

Who’s in Goal:

The Vancouver Giants continue to keep three goaltenders on their current roster. 19-year-old Payton Lee has the most experience of the bunch and so far has the best record: 3-3-0-1 with a 3.42 goals-against-average and an .892 save percentage. Cody Porter is 18-years-old and is 1-0 in the season but has just two appearances to his credit. Meanwhile 17-year-old Ryan Kubic is 0-2-1-0 in his three appearances so far. It is highly unlikely that the Giants will continue to roll with three goaltenders for an entire season, but right now there’s a big time battle taking place for playing time and all three could be a possibility for this afternoon’s contest.

X-Factor:

Sophomore forward Tyler Benson is a special talent and is one of those players who plays beyond his years. The Giants captain dressed in his first game of the season on Friday after sitting out the last two months with an injury and had his team’s only goal in a 3-1 loss against Seattle. Benson has remarkable vision and is very patient and precise with his passes. He had a goal and five assists for the Giants in six games against the Cougars a season ago, and you can bet that he’ll be a player that the Cougars will need to key on.

PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS

Overview:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars are an even 5-5 through 10 games of their season. Their 10 points has them ranked third in the B.C. Division six points behind the division leading Rockets. After posting back-to-back victories earlier this week at home against the Calgary Hitmen, the Cougars fell Friday in Kelowna by a 5-2 score. So far the Cougars are winless on the road, but granted they’ve only played two games away from home. Never the less the Cougars will look to get the road money off of their backs and this afternoon will a definite test as both teams are coming off losses and neither team lacks size or physical urgency.

Who’s Up Front:

The duo of Jesse Gabrielle and Brogan O’Brien were the two best Prince George Cougars forwards yet again on Friday night. O’Brien notched his third of the season and has now scored in two straight games. Gabrielle recorded his first assist of the season and has five points in three games so far this week. It’s also worth pointing out that their other linemate Jared Bethune has goals in back-to-back games. The trip of 18-year-olds have been responsible in all three zones and have earned every ounce of success that they have achieved up to this point. Gabrielle leads all Cougars with eight goals and nine points.

Who’s on D:

After two terrific defensive efforts earlier this week in Calgary the Cougars were not quite able to carry it forward Friday in Kelowna. The Rockets feasted off of Cougar mistakes, especially when the Cougars faltered in their own zone. Despite Friday’s setback the Cougars can still hold their heads high knowing they’ve allowed the lowest number of goals against in the B.C. Division along with the Victoria Royals. Terrific defense has been a common trait for the Cougars in all five of their victories. Coincidence? Not even a little bit. A big key for the Cougars this afternoon will be to match the Giants physically. A lot of that onus will fall onto the shoulders of Sam Ruopp and Josh Anderson who are going to need to bring a big game in a big building against a physically challenging opponent like Vancouver.

Who’s in Goal:

After three straight starts for Mack Shields the pattern would suggest that Ty Edmonds will get the start for Prince George this afternoon. But don’t let that possibility take away from the fact that Shields has been awfully good this week. He’s 2-1 in those three starts and did more than enough to help create confidence not only for himself but for his teammates in front of him too. Ty Edmonds is 2-3 on the season with a terrific .940 save percentage and a 1.93 goals-against-average and has certainly shown this season that he’s capable and confident as well.

X-Factor:

Over the past four seasons the Prince George Cougars have won exactly two games at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. During that span the Cougars record is 2-12-0-2. If the Cougars are serious about climbing the standings and contending for a top two spot in the division, they’ll need to win more games on the road, particularly against divisional opponents. It’s important for the Cougars to continue to play with a high level of defensive urgency and for them to also take advantage of their offensive opportunities when they arise. If they do those things, they give themselves a great opportunity to be successful and win in Vancouver today.