WHL Prince George Cougars

Cougars Aim for 5 Straight Wins; Take on Winterhawks Tonight

Published on January 6, 2024 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


Tonight, in Portland, OR, the Prince George Cougars aim for their fifth consecutive victory as they take on the Winterhawks at 6:00 pm at the Veteran's Memorial Coliseum.

The Prince George Cougars earned their fourth straight win with a 2-1 win on friday night over the Seattle Thunderbirds. Chase Pauls and Ephram McNutt supplied the Prince George offence, while Ty Young was spectacular in goal, making 38 saves

PG GOAL SCORERS: Pauls, McNutt

GOALIE: Young (38/39,

PP: 0/6

PK: 5/5

COUGARS LAST FIVE RESULTS, Record: 4-1-0-0

DATE RESULT GWG PG GOALIE OPP. GOALIE

December 27, 2023 PG [4] vs EDM [6] Hodnett Ravensbergen/Young Hay

December 28, 2023 PG [3] vs CGY [2] Thornton Young Buenaventura

December 30, 2023 PG [4] at KAM [1] Lajoie Young Sanche

January 3, 2024 PG [6] at WEN [2] Heidt Ravensbergen Hauser/Gee

January 5, 2024 PG [2] at SEA [1] McNutt Young Ratzlaff

2023-2024 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Dec. 3/2023 - at Portland (4-0 PG)

Jan. 6/2024 - at Portland

Jan. 19/2024 - at Prince George

Jan. 20/2024 - at Prince George

2022-2023 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Nov. 2/2022 - at Portland (504 PG/SO)

Dec. 7/2022 - at Portland (4-2 POR)

Feb. 20/2023 - at Prince George (1-0 PG/SO)

Feb. 21/2023 - at Prince George (3-1 PG)

2023-2024 REGULAR SEASON STATS LEADERS

Goals (40): Zac Funk

Assists (48): Riley Heidt

Points (70): Riley Heidt

PIMS (78): Aiden Foster

Plus/Minus (+33): Terik Parascak

2023-2024 REGULAR SEASON GOALTENDING LEADERS

Wins (15): Ty Young

Save % (.927): Joshua Ravensbergen

Goals Against Average (2.07) - Joshua Ravensbergen

Shutouts (6): Joshua Ravensbergen

COUGARS CAREER MILESTONES WITHIN REACH:

Hudson Thornton - 47 career goals (3 away from 50)

Zac Funk - 198 career games played (2 away from 200)

Zac Funk - 92 career goals (8 away from 100)

Keaton Dowhaniuk - 197 career games played (3 away from 200)

Chase Pauls - 194 career games played (6 away from 200)

Borya Valis - 149 career games played (1 away from 150)

Ondrej Becher - 93 games played (7 away from 100)

Riley Heidt - 191 career games played (9 away from 200)

WHO'S HOT

Zac Funk has points in 6 of his last 8 games (8-6-14)

Riley Heidt has points in 6 of his 7 games (7-8-15)

Terik Parascak has points in 9 of 11 games (4-13-17)

Ondrej Becher has points in 3 of his last 4 games (3-4-7)

Joshua Ravensbegren has 13 wins in 20 WHL appearances (12-3)

Ty Young has wins in 4 consecutive starts

TONIGHTS STORYLINES & STATS

38 DOWN: The Cougars enter tonight with a 28-10-0-0 record (56 points) on the season through 38 games which leads the BC Division and the Western Conference. The Cats are 13-6-0-0 at home and 15-4-0-0 on the road so far this season.

PARASCAK DOES IT AGAIN: Rookie forward Terik Parascak has been named the WHL's Rookie of the Month for December. Parascak, 17, recorded 16 points (4G-12A) and a plus-13 rating in 11 games during the month of December. With 54 points (26G-28A) in 36 games, Parascak leads the WHL's rookie scoring race by 18 points. His 26 goals are tied for fifth among all WHL skaters and lead all WHL rookies.

HEIDT SHINES IN DECEMBER: Cougars forward and Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt has been named the WHL's Player of the Month for December. The 5-foot-11, 182-pound centre registered seven multipoint performances during the month of December, highlighted by a five-assist effort Friday, December 15 in a 6-3 win at Wenatchee. Heidt also logged a four-point outing (1G-3A) Friday, December 1 in a 4-1 win at Tri-City along with two three-point games.With 68 points (20G-48A) in 34 games, Heidt leads the entire WHL in scoring. His 48 assists are good for second, while his 21 power-play assists are first in the WHL.

THE NEWEST COUGAR: The Cougars acquired 19-year-old forward Borya Valis from the Regina Pats on Sunday, December 31st. Valis, 19, Valis, a 19-year-old native of Denver, CO, has showcased his offensive prowess with an impressive 33 points in 35 games this season (13-20-33) while playing for Regina in the 2023-2024 season. Standing at 6'2 ‚¬Â³ and possessing a right-handed shot, Valis brings valuable experience, having played in 147 WHL games and amassing a total of 106 points (44-62-106). In his Cougar debut, Valis notched three assists.

WELCOME ABOARD, CHASE PAULS: The Cougars acquired veteran blue-liner Chase Pauls from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on December 27th in exchange for a third-round selection in the 2024 WHL Prospect's Draft. Hailing from Osler, SK, the right-handed blue-liner who stands at 6'5" has had a robust WHL career, suiting up in 190 games and accumulating 55 points (18-37-55) over four seasons."Pauls is a big veteran defensive defenceman that will fit in our group very well," commented GM & Head Coach Mark Lamb. "He is a top penalty killer, defends hard, and makes a good first pass." Pauls recorded an assist in his Cougars debut on Thursday December 28th against the Calgary Hitmen.

CHL TOP TEN: Although they fell in their first game back from the holiday break, the Cougars (26-10-0-0) bounced back by winning a pair of contests to maintain their place in these rankings at No.2 by defeating Calgary (3-2) and Kamloops (4-1). Prince George has now won seven of their last 10 and they have scored four goals or more in four of their last five contests. The Cougars continued to be led by Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt and 20-year-old Zac Funk, who continue to be difference makers for this squad. Heidt extended his point streak to five games (5G-8A over that stretch) and Funk tallied his 37th goal of the season. Funk continues to lead the CHL with 37 goals, while Heidt ranks first in the CHL with 68 points (20G-48A), just three ahead of Funk who has 65 points (37G-28A). This week, the Cougars will travel to the U.S. Pacific Northwest for a tough four-game road trip highlighted by games against Wenatchee, Seattle, No.10-ranked Portland and Everett.

AGAINST THE US DIVISION: The Cougars enter tonight's contest against the Winterhawks with a 9-4-0-0 record against the US division and are 20-7 against the Western Conference.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

WHEN: Saturday, January 6 at 6:00pm PDT

WHERE: Veterans Memorial Coliseum - Portland, OR

WATCH: WHL Live

LISTEN: 94.3 The Goat

Check out the Prince George Cougars Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2024


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