Cats Pull Even With 'Tips

By Kelly Sharp

              Silvertips Zach Hamill and Kyle Beach pressure Cougars Ty Wishart  in game 4

                 at CN Centre 

Nick Drazenovic set up the tying goal to force overtime then scored the winner in extra time to give the Prince George Cougars a 4-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips and a 2-2 tie in the best-of-seven Western Hockey League Western Conference semi-final before 5188 at CN Centre. The Prince George Cougars centre battled his check off the faceoff and beat Leland Irving at 5:18 of overtime to force at least a game six Monday night in Prince George. “It was kind of a broken play, I did not give up on it and that’s the way we have been playing we haven’t given up and we’ve found a way,” said Drazenovic.  Goals from Kyle Beach and Moises Gutierrez with his second of the night gave the Silvertips a 3-2 lead in the third period. 

“When they got that go ahead goal our guys didn’t sag they kept going and kept going

and when you stick to the game plan and our guys buy in good things happen,” said Cougars coach Drew Schoneck.

The resilient Cats tied it 3-3 when Drazenovic spun around the Everett defenseman and found Ty Wishart in the slot for the equalizer at 13:12 of the third period.

After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, the Cougars, thanks to some huge saves from Real Cyr killed a 2 man Everett advantage for 1:53 of the middle frame. The ever opportunistic Devin Setoguchi put Prince George in front 1-0 when he rapped in rebound off the end boards for a short-handed goal at 4:47. Gutierrez deflection handcuffed a screened Cyr to pull the ‘Tips even 1-1 at 12:45 of the second period. Prince George regained the lead after intense pressure left Setgouchi to his mastery around the Everett net. He circled around the Everett net and wristed a shot past Irving short side. Setogouchi’s eighth goal of the playoffs left the Cougars with a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.

Real Cyr made 35 saves for his fourth victory in five post season overtime games for the Cats. Leland Irving stopped 33 Prince George shots on the exciting night.

So down to a best-of- three series, the WHL Western Conference semi-final will resume Saturday night in Everett.

“You  got to win one game down there, either game five or game seven , so we are going to go down there with a single purpose in mind to get a win and bring it back home,” said Drew Schoneck about his underdog Cougars.

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