To the surprise of nobody this first round series between the Prince George Cougars and Portland Winterhawks has been a gem! From the beginning we knew there would be no shortage of offense, drama and intrigue and through four games the series has absolutely lived up to the hype. After a convincing 6-1 victory for Prince George in Game 3 the Portland Winterhawks responded with a dramatic comeback victory on Thursday in Game 4. The Cougars led 4-3 going into the third period, and are no doubt disappointed with how Game 4 ended – But the series has now shifted back to Prince George for tonight’s Game 5 and the CN Centre crowd will be ready to rock as the bad blood in this series continues to rise. 

PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS

OVERVIEW:

Series Record: 2-2

Series Road Record: 1-1

Goals For/Goals Against: 11 GF/17 GA

Power Play: 5/19 (26.3%)

Penalty Kill: 11/16 (68.7%)

Leading Scorers: Caleb Jones (4GP – OG – 6A – 6PTS), Cody Glass (4GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS), Skyler McKenzie (4GP – 3G – 0A – 3PTS)

WHO’S UP FRONT:

Matt Revel: The 20-year-old picked the perfect period to secure his first two goals of the series. Down 4-3 Thursday in Portland, Revel scored both goals in the third period for Portland to help earn them the 5-4 home ice victory. Revel is a veteran of over 300 career WHL games and his experience this time of year is an important asset for the Winterhawks.

Keegan Iverson: The Winterhawks captain has certainly drawn the ire of the Cougars this series thanks to his timely goals and his pest-like antics on the ice. In many ways he’s the Portland answer to Jesse Gabrielle – A player who can score clutch goals and frustrate other teams to no end. Iverson has two goals and an assist in the series.

WHO’S ON D:

Caleb Jones: The World Junior standout was a massive factor in Portland’s Game 4 victory. He assisted on his team’s first four goals and was named the game’s first star for his efforts. Jones used his speed and his smarts to create plays offensively, and now leads the team outright in playoff scoring with six points in four games. He was especially dangerous on the power play as he helped his team to a two-for-four clip on the man advantage.

WHO’S IN GOAL:

Cole Kehler: Game 4 wasn’t exactly a gem on either side of the ice, but it was an important victory for Hawks starter Cole Kehler who had previously been yanked in both Game 2 and Game 3. Kehler made a huge breakaway save off of Aaron Boyd with the game tied 4-4 which kept the game tied, and ultimately led the the Hawks go-ahead goal a few moments later. For the series he’s 2-2 with a 4.89 goals-against-average and an .858 save percentage.

X-FACTOR:

Ride the Wave: Coming back to win Game 4 was a huge momentum boost for  this Portland club who will now attempt to steal a second game in Prince George in this series. The biggest key for them tonight will be making sure that they can bring that same type of offensive urgency and finish.

PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS

OVERVIEW:

Series Record: 2-2

Series Home Record: 1-1

Goals For/Goals Against: 17 GF/11 GA

Power Play: 5/16 (31.2%)

Penalty Kill: 14/19 (73.7%)

Leading Scorers: Jansen Harkins (4GP – 2G – 4A – 6PTS), Colby McAuley (4GP – 2G – 4A – 6PTS), Brendan Guhle (4GP – 0G – 6A – 6PTS)

WHO’S UP FRONT:

Radovan Bondra: Bondra led the Cougars offensively Thursday with a goal and an assist. For the series the Chicago prospect now has two goals and three assists for five points and has continued to play some solid hockey alongside his linemates Jansen Harkins and Colby McAuley. Bondra and his linemates are no doubt going to be looked upon to carry the load offensively again for the Cougars tonight.

Jesse Gabrielle: The Boston Bruins prospect grabbed his first goal of the series Thursday and has been his usual irritating self (that’s a compliment) in this series. Now that the series has shifted back to Prince George, it gives Gabrielle an opportunity to really stoke this Prince George crowd up and make IT a factor in tonight’s game. Another big game from Gabrielle would be a great thing for the Cougars and their fans tonight.

WHO’S ON D:

Brendan Guhle: Offensively the Cougars continue to be led on the back-end by Brendan Guhle. He hasn’t scored a goal in the series yet, but he’s got six points in the first four games and has logged major minutes in all situations. Naturally the Winterhawks can expect a steady diet of #17 again tonight.

WHO’S IN GOAL:

Ty Edmonds: Tonight the Cougars 20-year-old will look to bounce back after Thursday’s 5-4 loss. For the series, Edmonds is now 2-2 with a very good goal-against-average of 2.52 and a save percentage of .932. He was a huge contributor in each of the Cougars two victories so far in the series, so it’s not a stretch to suggest that the Cougars are going to need Edmonds to be a big factor tonight if they hope to regain the lead in the series.

X-FACTOR:

Energy: We’ve now reached the point in the series where travel has become a factor. With Game 5 set for tonight in Prince George and Game 6 taking place back in Portland on Monday, the team that travels the wisest may end up with an edge. The Cougars are used to this kind of grind, and by all accounts they are refreshed, inspired and ready to take the ice tonight at home in what is expected to be a near sold-out crowd!