Tonight in Prince George, the CN Centre will be rocking as the Cougars kick off a two game home stand. Tonight marks the only meeting of the 2016-17 season between the Prince George Cougars and the Prince Albert Raiders and there will be no shortage of excitement in the building as the Cougars are set to host a MEGA JACKPOT ‘PINK IN THE RINK’ night. At the other side of the coin the Raiders are wrapping up their five game swing through the B.C. Division tonight and are hoping to snap a four game winless streak dating back to the start of their trip on November 11th in Kamloops. 

PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS

OVERVIEW:

Record: 5-15-1-0

Road Record: 3-9

Goals For/Goals Against: 48 GF/72 GA

Power Play: 13.3% (21st in WHL)

Penalty Kill: 78.3% (12th in WHL)

Leading Scorers: Simon Stransky (21GP – 8G – 14A – 22PTS), Austin Glover (21GP – 6G – 7A – 13PTS), Sean Montgomery (21GP – 6G – 6A – 12PTS)

WHO’S UP FRONT:

Simon Stransky: The 19-year-old forward is having a solid third season in the WHL. He leads all Raiders in scoring with 22 points in 21 games played. Last season he was a point-per-game player at 62 points in 62 games.

Austin Glover: The former Kelowna Rocket is now a 20-year-old in the league and is one of Prince Albert’s go-too guys. With 13 points in 21 games, Glover is a reliable two-way guy who can do a lot of different things for the Raiders.

WHO’S ON D:

Brendan Guhle: He’s worth the price of admission. He’s got elite speed, defends his own zone well and plays a TON. Offensively he’s got two goals and two assists.

Loch Morrison: The 19-year-old comes into tonight leading all Raiders defencemen in scoring with a goal and seven assists for eight points.

WHO’S IN GOAL:

Nicholas Sanders: Since joining the Raiders in a trade with the Tri-City Americans, Sanders has put together some terrific numbers. He’s 0-3 but has a 2.04 goals-against-average and a .931 save percentage. For the season he’s 2-4 with a .917 save percentage and a 2.26 goals-against-average.

Ian Scott:  The 17-year-old Scott is the real deal. He’s 4-11-1-0 this season with a .901 save percentage and a 3.55 goals-against-average.

X-FACTOR:

Energy/Pride: On the final game of a winless trip the Raiders are no doubt going to leave it all out there tonight. They have nothing to lose. They are going to bring their best game of the trip tonight and the Cougars will have to be ready to answer that challenge.

PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS

OVERVIEW:

Record: 16-4-2-0

Home Record: 6-3-1-0

Goals For/Goals Against: 81 GF/56 GA

Power Play: 19.6% (10th in WHL)

Penalty Kill: 85.7% (2nd in WHL)

Leading Scorers: Brad Morrison (21GP – 9G – 15A – 24PTS), Jared Bethune (22 GP – 8G – 12A – 20PTS), Jansen Harkins (16GP – 4G – 16A – 20PTS)

WHO’S UP FRONT:

Colby McAuley: Has scored three goals over his past two games and has really found his stride alongside Josh Curtis and Aaron Boyd. He led the Cougars offensively Tuesday in Kelowna with  two goals and an assist and he’ll look for a similar outing tonight against the Raiders.

Jansen Harkins: Comes into tonight riding a five game assists streak. He’s got six assists in his past five games. For the season Harkins has 20 points in 16 games.

WHO’S ON D:

The Collective: It hasn’t just been one guy who’s carried the mail recently for the Cougars on the back-end. With veteran Sam Ruopp still sidelined with a suspension everybody has stepped up their game and contributed valuable minutes. Whether it’s Tate Olson supplying offense, Josh Anderson supplying physicality or Ryan Schoettler supplying mobility, the defense has been able to withstand Ruopp’s absence and has thrived in the process. Tonight they’ll look for more of the same.

WHO’S IN GOAL:

Ty Edmonds: What else can you say? He’s 12-2-1-0 with a 2.12 goals-against-average and a .927 save percentage. He’s on a great run and he’s making crucial saves at big moments for his team game in and game out. He’ll get the nod again tonight.

X-FACTOR:

Ride the wave: It’s going to be a big crowd and a rowdy atmosphere tonight at the CN Centre. The biggest key for the Cougars: Use it to their advantage and use that energy for a positive. The last thing they can do tonight is take a team like the Raiders lightly, because there’s certainly enough skill and pride on the other side to knock a team down a peg or two in a hurry.