Prince George, B.C. – Tonight in Prince George the Cougars will take to the ice for the 14^th time this season. At 7-6 the Cougars are running an identical record to where they were a season ago and as the calendar turns to November the Cougars are looking to build off of what was largely a successful road trip through the B.C. Division last week. The Cougars tonight play one game at home before heading back on the road for two more games this weekend starting Friday in Everett. Tonight’s game should be an interesting one, as it features two teams with excellent goaltending and some terrific offensive depth.

LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES

Overview:

Brett Kisio’s Lethbridge Hurricanes are coming into tonight’s game with an impressive 10-4 record to start their season. Last season Lethbridge finished with the second lowest point total in the entire WHL, so this early season success has been welcomed with open arms by the entire organization. Coming into tonight the 20 points for Lethbridge has them ranked second in the Central Division just two points back of the first placed Red Deer Rebels. Over their past 10 games, Lethbridge has gone 8-2. That said, the Hurricanes have dropped each of their past two games and are 2-2 so far during this five game B.C. Division stretch. Tonight’s game will be their third in the past four nights.

Who’s Up Front:

Leading the way offensively for Lethbridge is 1997-born forward Brayden Burke. The second year forward from Edmonton, AB has four goals and a league high 22 assists for 26 points total. Coming into tonight’s game he’s tied for third overall in WHL scoring. Burke has had some good help though with the likes of Tyler Wong who has 14 goals and Giorgio Estephan who’s got 20 points to his credit so far this season too. The Hurricanes have scored 61 goals so far this season, an impressive total considering only three other teams in the entire WHL can say they’ve scored that many or more.

Who’s on D:

The Lethbridge Hurricanes blueline is anchored by Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick Andrew Nielsen. The 6’3”, 207 pound Nielsen leads all Hurricanes defenders with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points. He’s also a team high +12. It’s only Nielsen’s second full season in the WHL and no doubt the Toronto Maple Leafs are pleased with their selection as Nielsen has logged some major minutes for this Lethbridge team in all situations. The Cougars can expect a steady diet of Nielsen along with veteran defencemen Kord Pankewicz and Arvin Atwal.

Who’s in Goal:

The goaltending tandem of Jayden Sittler and Stuart Skinnner has been very impressive for the Hurricanes early in this season. The veteran Sittler is 5-2 with a 2.16 goals-against-average and a .923 save percentage, while his younger counterpart Skinner is also 5-2 but his goals-against-average is 4.15 and his save percentage a more modest .892. Either guy gives Lethbridge a great chance to win, and as far as who goes tonight: All we know for now is that Sittler played Saturday night in Kelowna.

X-Factor:

Tonight’s game for Lethbridge marks their third game in their past four nights and the final game of their five game B.C. Division road trip. The Hurricanes have already gone 2-2, and a victory tonight in Prince George would certainly send them home happy. It will be important though for the Hurricanes to manage their energy and stay disciplined. The Hurricanes are winless in each of their past four meetings at the CN Centre, so it hasn’t exactly been a friendly place for them as of late. It will be important for Lethbridge to get off to a strong start, as they will have a much easier time playing tonight’s game with a lead.

PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS

Overview:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars are coming into tonight’s game with a 7-6 record. At home the Cougars are 5-3 and have won two straight at home dating back to the October 20-21 double-header against the Calgary Hitmen. The Cougars are coming off a 2-1 victory on Friday in Kelowna and a victory tonight would get the Cougars a little bit closer to second place in the B.C. Division as both Victoria and Kelowna are idle this evening. Over the past five seasons, the Cougars are 5-2 against Lethbridge and have won four straight games against the Hurricanes at the CN Centre.

Who’s Up Front:

The dynamic duo of Brogan O’Brien and Jesse Gabrielle were brilliant once again on Friday in Kelowna with each player recording a goal. Gabrielle opened the scoring with his 10^th goal of the season and his league high fourth shorthanded goal. O’Brien then broke open a 1-1 tie mid-way through the third period. Both players are playing the game the ‘right’ way. They are earning all of their breaks, and have been the two most consistent forwards for the Cougars up to this point of the season. It’s been a welcomed sight for the Cougars as they still way for some of their other top offensive guns to heat up offensively. Hopefully tonight goes two-fold with O’Brien and Gabrielle continuing their success while others step up their game to help with the offense.

Who’s on D:

When the Cougars win games their defense has been a major reason why. While nobody on the Cougars back-end has set the world on fire offensively, they’ve by and large played well structurally and they did a terrific job on Friday against a high powered Kelowna offense keeping them to just a single goal against, which came on a power play. Josh Anderson continues to make a big impact on a game-by-game basis for the Cougars. The 17-year-old dropped the gloves with Tomas Soustal just 14 seconds into the game Friday, and that really helped set the tone for the Cougars who didn’t look back from there. Anderson leads all Cougars with 36 penalty minutes.

Who’s in Goal:

The Prince George Cougars needed a strong goaltending effort from Ty Edmonds Friday and that’s exactly what they got. The 19-year-old was brilliant Friday in Kelowna stopping 30 of the 31 shots he faced. Ty Edmonds’ record now sits at 4-4 but his numbers are outstanding. His goals-against-average sits at 2.00 on the nose and his save percentage is .941, which is currently third best in the entire WHL behind only Brendan  Burke and Adin Hill. Here’s hoping that Edmonds has more of that up his sleeve as tonight he’ll face a challenging Lethbridge offense that’s looking to right itself after dropping two straight games.

X-Factor:

Tonight it’s all about intensity for the Prince George Cougars who are looking to take advantage of a Lethbridge team that is playing their third game in four nights and fatigue could be a bit of a concern there. But much of the Cougars success to this point of the season has stemmed from strong defensively zone play. The Hurricanes definitely have some marquee weapons who can strike early and often if given the opportunity. Oh yeah, Lethbridge has the league’s top power play, so discipline will be crucial tonight for the Cougars who have had a ton of success as of late killing penalties, but with that said you don’t want to give a high powered offense like Lethbridge any extra opportunities to burn you. Discipline and strong defensive play should bode well for the Cougars tonight at home.