Cougars Fall, 6-2, to Winterhawks to Open Six-Game Road Swing
Published on October 31, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release
PORTLAND, OR - The Prince George Cougars opened their six-game road swing with a 6-2 setback to the Portland Winterhawks on Friday night at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. This setback marks the Cougars first loss on the road in the 2025-26 season.
The Winterhawks got off to a fast start, scoring three times in the opening frame. Nathan Free opened the scoring at 7:53 with a one-timer from the left circle. Portland doubled their lead late in the period when Carter Sotheran blasted home a power-play goal at 17:31. In the final seconds of the first, Finn Spehar netted his second of the season to make it 3-0. Despite the deficit, the Cougars outshot Portland 12-8 in the opening period.
In the second, Portland extended their advantage to 4-0 at 3:57 when Jake Gustafson notched his third of the year. The Cougars responded shortly after on the power play, as Arsenii Anisimov buried his third of the campaign at 5:52 to get Prince George on the board. Moments later, Dmitri Yakutsenak dropped the gloves in his first career WHL fight, taking on Portland's Nathan Brown. The Cougars continued to push and were rewarded when Corbin Vaughan buried a rebound at 15:03 to cut the deficit to 4-2. Kooper Gizowski earned an assist on the play, extending his point streak to 13 games. The score remained 4-2 through 40 minutes.
In the final frame, the Winterhawks restored their three-goal cushion at 5:29 when Reed Brown tallied his fifth of the season. Alex Weiermair added another to make it 6-2, sealing the win for Portland. Following the sixth goal, Brady Holtvogt entered the game in relief of Josh Ravensbergen, marking Holtvogt's first career regular-season appearance.
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