Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots February 16th Edition

Friday, February 16, 2007 03:44 AM

The two Prince George Junior Hockey teams have nearly completed their regular season schedules and are in the stretch drive.

The Cougars have 16 games left, nine of which are at home, while the other seven are on the road. It
was determined weeks ago that the Cats will finish 3rd in the BC Division. The record in their remaining games won’t effect their placement in the standings. One might suspect that this team will just play out the string and then "crank it up" against Kamloops or Vancouver in the playoffs.

However, can the team afford the luxury of "coasting" for the remainder of the season ? The Cougars, (25-25-2-4) have earned as many wins as regulation losses. General consensus is they are playing .500 hockey and are improving. But are they? Home sweeps over WHL doormats (Portland Winterhawks and Chilliwack Bruins) should not create false optimism.

But what about their play against better teams? The Cats have failed to sweep a home double-header against a winning team. In fact, they don’t even have one victory in five tries against the Giants and have just two wins (both at home) in seven games against the Blazers. In their last 16 games, 13 are against teams with winning records and the other three are against Kelowna. For some unexplained reason, the Cougars have struggled with the baby face Rockets, going just 2-3. With the competition more difficult, and no more "gimme" games remaining against the Bruins or the Winterhawks, Cougar supporters will soon get a better idea as to whether this team is capable of a first round upset.

On the other hand, the Vancouver-Kamloops first place battle has added importance because both teams would rather face Kelowna rather than an older underachieving PG team that will try to rebound from a disappointing regular season. Nevertheless, playoff hockey is still over a month away, but at least the teams have read their scripts and are now ready for the dress rehearsal.

Meanwhile, the Spruce Kings have seven games remaining (the next four at home vs Victoria, Nanaimo, Quesnel and Williams Lake and the last three on the road at Penticton twice and Vernon) before the BCHL playoffs begin March 6th. The Spruce Kings are battling Trail and Salmon Arm for 3rd, 4th and 5th.

There's no question that the Spruce Kings improved their club at the trade deadline, but inconsistent play remains a concern. Although the Spruce Kings may win a round, or possibly two, in the playoffs,
a long successful run remains doubtful. In other words, look for a lengthy break prior to the start of the Royal Bank Cup on May 5th.

The Cougars and Spruce Kings season leaves hockey fans with the following question to ponder: Which of the two banner-less PG junior hockey franchises has a better chance to excel in the playoffs?
You have to admit, it's hard to make a case for either one, isn't it?

From the quote rack:

"He will celebrate with coffee and doughnuts." Drew Curtis of fark.com, after Colorado Avalanche defenceman Karlis Skrastins broke Tim Horton's
NHL record of 486 consecutive games.

"Guess we know what David Wells plans to do this summer." Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun, on the LA Dodgers selling all-you-can-eat deals with bleacher
seats for the 2007 major league baseball season.

"Hopeless romantics of the Atlanta Braves, we assume, spent their Valentine's Day with pitchers and catchers in Kissimmee, Fla."
Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times

"Doctors are exploring the possibility of using mismatched hearts in transplants. Kobe and Shaq have become donors." Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
"Maytag recalled 2.3 million dish washing machines. Now the Maytag repairman isn’t the loneliest guy on earth, Chicago Bear QB Rex Grossman is." Comedian Alex Kaseberg

"It could have been worse ... He could have promised to become Rex Grossman." Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News, on a Bears fan that plans to legally change his name to Peyton Manning because he lost a bet on Chicago in the Super Bowl.

And in case you missed it:

Talk about inflation. 40 years ago, a Super Bowl TV ad cost $37,500. This year it was $2.6 million.

And how was your week?

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for
the PG Free Press. Send along a quote, note or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com.

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