Cougars Fire 52 Shots On Goal In 3-2 Loss In Portland

Sunday, February 28, 2010 10:39 PM

Even though the result didn't produce two points, the performance certainly could have. The Cougars had a season high 52 shots on former Cougars goalie Ian Curtis, but for the eighth straight game, three goals allowed in one period proved to be the difference as the Portland Winterhawks held on for a 3-2 win over the Cougars Sunday night.

The Cougars' tilt in Portland was the third game in as many nights for the club, falling in Spokane and Everett the previous two nights. The Winterhawks struck first on Sunday, with Ryan Johansen netting his 22nd goal of the year at 8:56. Brad Ross put the Winterhawks ahead 2-0 on a goal at 12:06 followed by a tally by Nino Niederreiter exactly seven minutes later for his 34th goal of the year and a 3-0 lead through 20 minutes for the hosts. Hudson Stremmel, back in goal for the Cougars, faced 11 shots in the opening frame. The Cougars put 10 shots on Curtis.

In the second period, the Cougars began taking over the game and were rewarded with a power play goal 1:38 into the frame. James Dobrowolski would cash in his 16th goal of the season, with assists going to Alex Rodgers and Bruin McDonald. Dobrowolski, who sat on Saturday night, has goals in two of his last three games and the assist guaranteed Rodgers a second consecutive point-per-game month. The Cougars out-shot the Winterhawks 20-11 in the second period, but trailed 3-1.

Dobrowolski wasn't finished finding the back of the net Sunday, notching his second power play goal, and 17th goal of the year, at 8:35. Dobrowolski knocked in his 10th power play goal of the season and is the first Cougars player to score two power play goals in a game this year. Rodgers earned his second assist, with defenceman Petr Senkerik adding another helper. The Cougars would put a season high 22 shots on goal in one period in the final 20 minutes, but could not get the game to overtime, as the Winterhawks hung on for a 3-2 win. The Winterhawks are the fourth US division team to win 40 games this season, joining Tri-City, Everett and Spokane. The Cougars went 2-for-10 with the power play in the game, while Portland was 0-for-5. Hudson Stremmel made 33 saves for the Cougars and Curtis had a 50 save performance. The loss drops the Cougars record to 11-51-1-2.

The Cougars will come home to meet the Silvertips again, Friday and Saturday at CN Centre. Both games start at 7:00. Next Friday's game is Tour Your Own Town Night, where various local and regional attractions will host interactive booths on the concourse throughout the evening. Tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster at 250-564-5585.

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