The Prince George Cougars have 27 games remaining in their schedule; and therefore they need to declare their number one goaltender.

James Priestner was given every opportunity to start; then Ty Rimmer, following his trade from Brandon, took over the number one position. It was back to Priestner, who was named CHL
goalie of the week on January 5th and now again it appears to be Rimmer.

Head Coach Dean Clark has been frustrated with what he terms “inconsistent goaltending” from both the 19-year old Priestner and the 18-year old Rimmer although there have been stretches when both have been spectacular.

We all know that soft goals against can deflate a team. The Cougars have had more than their share of surrendering those bad goals at key points in games; however, often team breakdowns, and not just the net minder, is responsible.

The goalie is like a quarterback in football in that frequently he is given too much credit for a victory and too much blame for a loss. Naturally, that comes with the territory.

The Cougars have a high scoring team, but they are giving up approximately 3 1/2 goals per game, which is way too high, especially if they want to be a contender.

Rimmer has slightly better stats than Priestner. Here’s a look at their numbers:

 

In five of their last seven games, (including three in a row vs Vancouver) Coach Clark has used both goalies in the same game. Neither was hurt. I do not recall seeing these types of changes in net by a team, although Mike Keenan was known to often pull his starter in the NHL following a soft goal or two. The Keenan strategy seldom worked and just led to frustration with his stoppers.

Being an experienced coach, at the WHL level, Clark knows that in order to be a top notch team one cannot continue to juggle or alternate its goalies.

Clark has experimented with the “win and you’re in” method. Under that philosophy, the same goalie continues to start until his team loses. Of course, in the long term, this does not work. There is enough pressure of being in net without the added burden of knowing that reality, especially since a goalie has no control of the team’s offense.

Keep in mind; “win and you’re in” is different than going with the hot goalie. Losing 1-0 making 42 saves should be sufficient to have the confidence of the team and coach to play again in the next game. Is winning an 8-7 game while blocking just 16 shots worthy of playing the next game?

 

There are too many variables, especially mentally, when it comes to this situation. It may sound simple but Clark should pick the number one guy, give him at least two starts out of three, and stick with him for the duration of the season. For instance, it does not matter how well Corey Schneider plays, all Canucks fans know it will be Roberto Luongo, who will be their goalie in the playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens are going to ride Carey Price, even if Alex Auld shines in his limited starts.

While the Cougars are far from securing a post-season spot, indications are they will be one of eight Western Conference playoff teams. In order to be successful against elite competition in the spring, the Cougars will need a ‘go-to guy” in the net.

One can argue that neither Rimmer nor Priestner has played well enough to deserve number one status. That may be true, but this is the hand the team has been dealt. The time has come to tap one on the shoulder and give him the confidence of being the starter.

 

As strange as it may sound, a team is usually better off with one goalie than two. When was the last time a team had a deep playoff run flip-flopping back and forth?

  

Well, New York City garbage collections have finally caught up after recent blizzards. Now the really big job looms---addressing the Jets' recent trash talk.

 

Former Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez donated a number of Wolverine apparel items to the local Salvation Army. Wouldn't it have been more appropriate for him to have donated canned goods? 

Brett Favre filed the paperwork with the NFL to formally retire from professional football.… He accidentally texted his paperwork to Jenn Sterger.
Comedy writer Jerry Perishohttp://monologuewriter.blogspot.com/

While soliciting bids for a plate at a charity auction, Andre Agassi, who is married to Steffi Graff, said if the bidding reached $4000, he would show the winner a naked picture of his wife on his cell phone. Bill Clinton is planning a similar idea- unless the bidding goes well, he will show the winner a naked picture of HIS wife.

According to Manny Ramirez’s agent, at least five MLB teams have shown interest in signing the temperamental slugger. “I’ll take ‘gluttons for punishment’ for $600, Alex.”
Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)

 

  

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, calling it too offensive for the airwaves, has banned the 1985 Dire Straits song "Money for Nothing." There went the Toronto Maple Leafs' next radio jingle. 

 

The Bank of Canada is keeping their interest rate at 1%. The only other market with less interest is in Phoenix for the Coyotes.

 

There is a controversy brewing in tennis about what constitutes a Grand Slam. Former great Rod Laver says it is winning all 4 majors in one calendar year and Rafael Nadal says it is holding all 4 titles. To anyone other than Roger Federer or Nadal it is just a breakfast at Denny’s.
Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)
Former NBA star Allen Iverson is back in the U.S. for surgery on his right leg to remove a lump that formed while playing in Turkey. Think of it as the foreign lesion.

 

 

A medical study says sports are OK for most kids with high blood pressure. The fierce competition. The physical play. The emotional stress. And those are just the parent meetings.
Comedy writer Alan Ray