Second place in the B.C. Division and the Western Conference is once again within the grasp of the Prince George Cougars. After a 6-2 victory yesterday over Seattle the Cougars will get right back on the horse tonight looking for their fifth double-header sweep of the season, their fourth of which would be at home. Across the ice the Seattle Thunderbirds surely didn’t take too kindly to the end result of last night’s game and are going to be fired up for tonight’s rematch.

SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS

Overview:

Steve Konowalchuk’s Seattle Thunderbirds come into tonight’s game with an overall record of 22-15-3-0. Their 47 points put them five points back of Everett for first in the US Division and each team has 32 games remaining in their schedule. In their past 10 games Seattle is 4-5-1-0 and are 1-2 against the Cougars this season having been outscored 13-8 in that span. Last night’s loss in Prince George was their first in PG since September, 2012.

Who’s Up Front:

The Seattle Thunderbirds took a bit of a blow early yesterday when one of their top goal scorers Keegan Kolesar was booted from the game after just 11 seconds due to a staged fight with Colby McAuley. That scrap cost Kolesar tonight’s game too as both he and McAuley have been suspended one game from the league due to the staged fight. That means that the duo of Mathew Barzal and Ryan Gropp will be without their usual right winger for a second straight night. Barzal was as good as advertised for Seattle yesterday scoring their first goal and generally was a threat every time he took the ice. Gropp had his moments too, but his best scoring chance last night was thwarted by Ty Edmonds late in the third period  when the game had already been more or less decided. Tonight Gropp and Barzal will need to lead the charge offensively for Seattle as they look to leave Prince George with points in their pocket.

Who’s on D:

How durable has Seattle captain Jerret Smith been throughout his career? Well consider this: In three-and-a-half seasons in the WHL the Surrey B.C. native has missed one game. One! That one game absence came in his first season in the league as a 17-year-old in 2012-13. Since then, Smith has played in 184 straight games for the T-Birds and has provided some steady two-way play since. This season, Smith has four goals and 18 assists for 22 points and he’s a +4 with 28 penalty minutes. Smith scored his sixth of the season last night for Seattle in the third period, and has now registered three goals this season against Prince George. He and his defence partner Jared Hauf will certainly log the most minutes again tonight for the T-Birds.

Who’s in Goal:

The T-Birds threw a bit of a curveball at the Cougars last night when they chose to start 18-year-old Logan Flodell in place in 20-year-old Landon Bow, who has been excellent all season and especially since joining Seattle in a (near) deadline deal with Swift Current. Bow did relieve Flodell in the third last night and made all seven saves on the shots he faced. Tonight he will almost assuredly get the start for Seattle and will look to backstop his new team to his third consecutive victory between the pipes.

X-Factor:

Further to the point above, goaltending is going to be a major key for the Seattle Thunderbirds on the road tonight. Landon Bow was acquired at the deadline by the T-Birds for games exactly like this one. Goaltenders like Bow can halt losing streaks before they begin and it’s amazing how the rest of a team can feed off a confident goaltender and Bow certainly does not lack the credentials or the confidence to do just that tonight. Goaltending is usually a big key for teams when they win on the road, and assuming that Bow gets the nod tonight, he’ll be a big factor either way tonight for Seattle.

PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS

Overview:

Mark Holick’s Prince George Cougars come into tonight’s game with an overall record of 26-15-1-1. Their 54 points put them tied for second in the B.C. Division with the Victoria Royals with a game in hand. That one game in hand will take place tonight against Seattle. Last night marked the second consecutive 6-2 victory for the Cougars against Seattle and their record against Seattle over the past five seasons is 11-6-1-1. A victory tonight would give the Cougars their first home double-header sweep of 2016 and would move them above .500 for the month of January as they current sit 3-3.

Who’s Up Front:

It was a night that 17-year-old Kody McDonald will never forget. In his 100^th career game in the WHL the product of Lethbridge, AB notched his first ever WHL hat-trick in a 6-2 Cougars victory. McDonald now has 11 goals on the season which establishes a new season high (his previous high was nine). What’s even more impressive about McDonald is just how versatile he has been for the Cougars this season. He kills penalties, defends against the opposing team’s top forwards and even plays defense on the second power play unit. McDonald has established himself as a very trustworthy, physical and hard-working player for this team and it’s great to see him being rewarded offensively for his efforts.

Who’s on D:

In June of 2015 Tate Olson was the second to last player selected in the NHL draft by the Vancouver Canucks. His strong play in 2014-15 definitely warranted him being selected in the draft, but frankly his game has gone to another level entirely in 2015-16 in all aspects. Offensively his numbers are outstanding: four goals, 27 assists, 12 power play points and defensively he leads the entire team in plus-minus with a +22 rating which ranks him tied for fifth in the entire WHL. Consider all of that and then add the fact that more often than not he and Sam Ruopp are defending the opposing team’s top players each and every game. Last night against Seattle Olson had a goal and two assists, which means that he leads all Cougars this season against Seattle with five points three games. Another big game from Olson would be a big boost for the Cougars as they take aim at a weeknight sweep of Seattle.

Who’s In Goal:

Last night Ty Edmonds did what he had to between the pipes to help lead the Cougars to win number 26 and his 14^th individual victory of the season. He faced 27 shots and made 25 saves and like his teammates seemed to get better as the game went on. His best save came in the third period off of Ryan Gropp and for the most part he was calm, controlled his rebounds well played ‘big’ in his net. Edmonds has played every second of action this season against Seattle and is 2-1 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against-average. His goals-against-average on the season is 2.33 which is second in the league and his .926 which is still tops in the WHL. Tonight’s start will be his fifth straight as Nick McBride continues to mend a minor lower body injury.

X-Factor:

Mark Holick talks about it all the time: When the Cougars control the pace and the physicality of the game they are successful. Last night the Cougars, from the very get go seemed locked in. It started with the physicality and then they scored the first goal, and once they grabbed the lead for good in the second period they were able to play a structured game while still controlling the tempo and physicality. More of the same will be needed and then some tonight as the Cougars will be facing a veteran goaltender and an ornery Seattle group that’s looking to avenge the 6-2 loss.