Dobrowolski Nets Three Goals and Four Points In Cougars Home Finale

By 250 News

The Prince George Cougars put the capping on the 2009-10 regular season home schedule Wednesday against the Chilliwack Bruins.  James Dobrowolski became the star of the game for the home side with three goals and an assist, but it wasn’t enough to upend the Bruins, who escape Prince George with back-to-back 7-4 wins.

Before the game, the Cougars handed out their awards, which saw Alex Rodgers take the team MVP award, Garrett Thiessen was named Most Dedicated Player, Jesse Forsberg took home Top Rookie honors and Brock Hirsche was named the Scholastic Player of the Year.  Spencer Asuchak went home with a specially made, $2,500 dollar Cougars ring, provided by Darryl Hubbell of Hubbell Designs, after leading the Cougars in fan voting during the season for Player of the Year, collecting over 1,900 votes.  Another special honor went to Reagan Inkin, who was named the Cougars top volunteer.  The opening period was a fast one between the teams, with the Bruins breaking the ice at 6:40.  Colton Grant knocked home his 7^th of the year to give Chilliwack a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes, out-shooting the Cougars 9-4.

The Bruins were making it look like it would be an easy night in the first half of the second period, getting two more goals past Cougars starter Hudson Stremmel.  Ryan Howse, who had a hat-trick on Tuesday, put home his 45^th goal at 6:11 and Tim Traber fired a slap shot to the back of the goal for his 3^rd and the Bruins took a 3-0 lead at 7:28.  But the Cougars would finally solve Braden Gamble, tending goal for the Bruins.  On a Cougars power play, Carter Rigby slid a shot from the left wing that snuck through gamble and lay on the goal line.  James Dobrowolski would bang home the loose puck for his first 20 goal season at 12:21, which was also a Cougars high 13^th power play goal.  Daniel Gibb also drew a helper along with Rigby.  But Brandon Manning finished off a pretty passing play for his 13^th of the season at 14:48, increasing Chilliwack’s lead to 4-1.  The Cougars would cut into it again, with youngster Troy Bourke, who scored his first two WHL goals Tuesday, getting his third, firing home another goal from the right side of the Bruins goal to make it 4-2 at 15:59, which was another power play goal for Prince George.  The special teams scoring continued in the second for the Cougars, when Alex Rodgers took off on a partial short-handed break-away.  The persistent yelling of Dobrowolski who was trailing the play led to a drop pass from Rodgers and Dobrowolski roofed a perfect backhand over the glove hand of Gamble to make it 4-3 Bruins at 19:01.  That short-handed goal is the Cougars fifth this season and first since February 26 in Spokane.  The Cougars trailed 4-3 after 40 minutes, getting out-shot 15-12 in the middle period.

Early in the third, though, the Bruins replied with a shorty of their own.  Howse, again, scored on his home town team for his 46^th of the season to make it 5-3 Bruins.  But once again, the Cougars came back, with Dobrowolski finishing the hat-trick.  Dobrowolski was stopped on the first attempt, then passed the puck in front, where a Bruins defender knocked it over the goal line.  The play was reviewed, but Dobrowolski was given credit for his team leading 22^nd goal of the year.  With Alex Rodgers already at the 20-goal mark, the Cougars get two 20-goal scorers in 2009-10, something the club did not have last year.  Parker Stanfield extended his point streak to five with an assist and Art Bidlevskii also drew a helper, with the goal at 6:41, the Cougars third power play goal of the night.  But once again, as soon as the Cougars got close, the Bruins would get the insurance goal.  Shayne Neigum fired in his 11^th of the season at 7:55 and Traber added his second of the night into an empty net at 18:42 for a 7-4 Bruins win.  The Bruins move to .500 with the victory, improving to 32-32-1-5.  The Bruins had the edge in shots at 12-8 for a game total of 36-24.  The Cougars went 3-for-9 on the power play and the Bruins were 0-for-4.  Both teams had a short-handed goal.

The Cougars, now at 11-56-1-2, will end the 2009-10 season on the road, facing Kamloops Friday and Kelowna on Saturday.

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