Rebels Romp 7-0 Tuesday

Tuesday, March 08, 2011 10:52 PM

The Red Deer Rebels were in full control Tuesday in a 7-0 win over the Prince George Cougars at CN Centre.

The Rebels got two goals in the first period, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring at 6:29 and Byron Froese scored at 14:55 for a 2-0 first period Rebels lead. Red Deer out-shot the Cougars 13-11 in the first period. The highlight for the Cougars came when Ty Rimmer made a dazzling glove save on Turner Elson on a 2-on-0 shorthanded rush for Red Deer.

Froese's night was just getting started, as he scored three of the Rebels four second period goals to up the lead to 6-0, out-shooting the Cougars 13-5 and forcing the Cougars to pull Rimmer from the goal at 12:33 after the Rebels made it 5-0. Andrej Kudrna had the other second period goal.

In the third frame, John Persson finished the scoring for a 7-0 Rebels victory, getting redemption on the Cougars after a 4-3 overtime win for Prince George in Red Deer on February 13. The Rebels out-shot the Cougars 10-9 in the third and 36-25 in the game. The Cougars were 0-for-5 on the power play and the Rebels went 1-for-2.

The Cougars head on the road Thursday to Vancouver and will meet the Giants Friday night, followed by meetings in Seattle Saturday and Tri-City Sunday. The Cougars next and final home game will be the back-half of a home-and-home with the Kamloops Blazers on March 19, starting at 7:00pm. Tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster at 250-564-5585.

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Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2011 10:52 PM in Sports by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: faxman on March 9 2011 7:44 AM

Ouch. I sure hope the season doesn't come down to the final game but that might help sell the place out.

I wish I could understand why attendance is so low. Has it always been this bad?

Posted by: jakeadoo on March 9 2011 11:37 AM

Here is how I see things other than the ownership situation.Everyone talks about winning and winning traditions but some people don't really understand what this means.Some people believe if a team plays 500 hockey for a season or two and make the playoffs for a round or two,they are dedicated to winning hockey.A winning tradition is when they are winning championships, or banners,or even a couple of playoff rounds on a consistent basis.A winning tradition is in even in seasons where you are trying to rebuild,you surprise people and are able to compete,such as the Vancouver Giants this season.Vancouver,Brandon,Calgary etc. have winning traditions,as they are in contention most years.Unfortunately for Prince George,I don,t believe they will get to this stage before they relocate,as they can't attract enough of the elite players on a consistent basis,because of the geographical situation,climate,and many of the other reasons that people don't want to live here.I mean would you as an elite athlete want to live here and suck in our air quality,when your competition is in Kelowna etc..That is just my take on things.

Posted by: Palopu on March 9 2011 11:37 AM

Faxman. When the franchise first moved to town the attendence was around 5000 fans per game. The CN Centre was new, the Cougers were new (and winning) and everyone was having a good time.

It has been suggested that approx half of the people attending the games were doing so on **free** Corporate tickets. Corporations were all buying tickets in the beginning.

In any event the frost is off the pumpkin. People have found other things to do, Corporate free tickets have fallen off. What is left are the hard core hockey fans which amounts to between 1500 and 1800 .

There were many people who maintained that Prince George did not have sufficient hockey fans to support both the Spruce Kings, and the Cougers, however the powers to be knew better.

We are now faced with an average attendence per game of 2000 fans. A year ago Brodsky stated that they could not operate this franchise at less then 3000 fans per game, however he has done so for the past year. There have been some changes in the contract with the City which allows Brodsky to maintain his income, however the City takes a decrease in the revenue it receives per game.

Bottom line::::: Asking 5000 people in Prince George to attend 36 home games to support the Cougers is a little much. I suspect that this franchise has basically bottomed out, and will probably move away.

It appears that the City now subsidizes the Couger franchise to the tune of approx $60,000.00 per year.

Posted by: giterdun on March 9 2011 12:37 PM

If the team was sold to local people with their heart in this town, then this situation would correct itself real quick. Too many bridges have been burned by this ownership.

Posted by: faxman on March 9 2011 12:47 PM

Thanks for the information guys! It would be a shame to lose our WHL team.

Posted by: Gary Long on March 9 2011 2:50 PM

To chime in on this, I'm sure this has been thought of and I know this does little to bring in a big increase in revenue, but I've never for the life of me been able to understand why the organization isn't giving 1000-1500 tickets away each home game. Schools, youth groups, underprivledged families etc....

My take is that if you have more bodies ( 3500 + per game, the audience will have more fun, the atmosphere will be better and word could spread that it's fun to go to a game again. Not to mention the possible spin off of the concessions, souvenirs, and extra tickets purchased to go with a friend that received one for free.

I know I'm on the outside looking in, but I just feel that not enough is being done to make it more of a fun atmosphere at the game, and it starts with more butts in seats.

It would be a shame to see the Cats relocate but if something isn't done it seems that will happen eventually. Just my two cents. Cheers.

Posted by: LoveTheNorth on March 9 2011 5:32 PM

Totally agree with Gary Long.

Posted by: faxman on March 9 2011 5:51 PM

That's a great idea Gary. I know that some people from the Cougars brass still look at this site...

Posted by: Palopu on March 9 2011 10:01 PM

Garys idea is a good one but it has a fatal flaw.

Why would 1500 people pay for tickets to go to a hockey game and have 1500 people sitting beside them getting free tickets???? Wouldnt they also want free tickets. Whats good for the goose is good for the gander.

Or put another way. Why would the regular fans want to pay for a franchise that 1500 people can watch for free????

Also free tickets do not generate any money for the franchise, or for the City. Why would taxpayers want to subsidize the ((private))) franchise, so that people could go to the games for free????

I think we should come to terms with the fact that contrary to popular beleive Prince George is not now, and has never been a Hockey town. This is just a urban legend, without any substance.

Dont foreget that for a long time Corporations were suppling free tickets, and people still stopped going. I have on a few occasions tried to give away free tickets and couldnt do it. When you did give them away, it was usually to a fan that would have gone and paid for his ticket, so in effect you made the situation worse not better.

People also have less money, and probably go to the Casino to try to make a buck, rather than sit at a Hockey game.