Cougars Take Down Giants 4-1

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 10:05 PM

No team in the WHL has had the Cougars number quite like the Vancouver Giants. But on Wednesday night, the Cougars were on the right end of the final score with the Giants for the first time since March 1, 2008, a span of 17 games, including playoffs, with a 4-1 victory at the Pacific Coliseum. James Dobrowolski scored twice and Nick Buonassisi factored in all three third period goals for Prince George, who pulled away for the victory in their final game on the 2009 calendar.

The Giants and Cougars were squaring off for the fifth time this season, with the Giants taking all four leading up to Wednesday night's game. But the Cougars got off to a quick start, thanks to a turn-over by the Giants. Brock Hirsche scored his 8th goal of the season just 23 seconds into the hockey game, with Jaroslav Vlach and Taylor Makin drawing helpers for a 1-0 Cougars lead. The Giants squared the game at one on a marker by Sebastian Svendsen, who cashed in at 9:08 for his fifth of the year. Hudson Stremmel was back in goal for the Cougars, stopping 13 of 14 shots in the opening 20 minutes. Mark Segal got the call for the Giants in goal and handled 9 of 10 Cougars drives.

Neither team could grab the lead in the second period, which was a solid one for the visiting Cougars, who killed off a pair Giants power plays to keep the game tied. The Cougars also limited the Giants to just five shots, which both teams had in the middle stanza for a two period total of 19-15 for Vancouver.

Heading into Wednesday, the Cougars had allowed three goals in each of three of the previous five periods. But in Vancouver, the Cougars changed that, with a trio of tallies themselves. Buonassisi, a product of Coquitlam, roofed his seventh goal of the season, burying a rebound left by Segal off the original shot by former Giant Alex Rodgers, giving the Cougars a 2-1 lead at 6:59. The Cougars went to a power play past the mid-way point of the third and would give themselves some breathing room on the score board. James Dobrowolski took over the team lead in goals, connecting off a beautiful centering pass by Rodgers for his 10th goal of the season and team leading seventh power play goal, for a 3-1 Cougars lead at 11:13. Buonassisi also drew a helper on the goal. Dobrowolski and Buonassisi weren't finished there as another Giants turnover, which caused the first Cougars goal led to the final marker of the night, with Buonassisi taking the puck away and feeding Dobrowolski for his 11th goal of the season and third two goal game of the year. Stremmel would put an exclamation mark on the 4-1 victory, with a brilliant glove save late in the contest. The Cougars out-shot the Giants 13-12 in the third. The Giants had the edge in shots in the game at 31-28. Stremmel, with his 30 stops, records his fourth win in the month of December, which has been the best month for the Cougars this season, with four victories, half of the team's season total. The Cougars went 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Giants were unsuccessful in two power play opportunities.

After consecutive 6-1 losses to Kamloops Sunday and Chilliwack Tuesday, Head Coach Dean Clark was very pleased to see his troops get to work in Vancouver and see it pay off with a win. "Everyone from goaltender out played for a full 60 minutes. We've told the guys that if you bring that effort every night, the results will come," said Clark, who earned his 390th career WHL coaching victory. "What I liked most about the win was that it involved everyone. A guy like Taylor Orser had a great game for us. Kyzen Loo had a solid game and when guys are playing well, it gives our top lines a chance to rest between shifts and go out with more energy."

The Cougars go into 2010 with a record of 8-28-1-1 and drop the Giants record to 24-13-1-2. The victory is the Cougars third on the road this season and not only did they end a long losing streak to the Giants, they won their first game in Vancouver since January 31, 2006. The Cougars, who are playing without forwards Brett Connolly (injury) and Marek Viedensky (World Juniors) and defenceman Jesse Forsberg (World U-17), come home for a pair of games Saturday and Sunday with the Kamloops Blazers. Saturday's game starts at 7:00 and Sunday's begins at 2:30. The second game of the double header is the Cougars CKPG Family Day game, with family packages available, a kids zone, face-painting and Two Rivers Gallery Creation Station. After the game, fans will have a chance to skate with the Cougars, with Eurest and CN Centre providing free popcorn and hot chocolate. Tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster at 250-564-5585.

Previous Story - Next Story