Cougars' Five-Game Win Streak Snapped in Kelowna
Published on January 30, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release
KELOWNA, BC - The Prince George Cougars saw their five-game winning streak come to an end after falling 4-2 to the Kelowna Rockets, Friday at Prospera Place. Josh Ravensbergen was outstanding in the Cougar goal, making 36 saves on 39 shots. Kooper Gizowski and Riley Ashe scored the Cougar tallies.
"I thought the first period was outstanding. Both teams played really hard, and I thought we had a really good level of compete. But then we went into the break, they stayed with it, and we didn't," said Associate Coach Jim Playfair. "We let off. We didn't get into battles consistently, didn't win the blue lines, and didn't gain the line or get pucks in behind their D as consistently as we did in the first period. Consequently, we spent too much time in our own zone."
The opening period was as entertaining as it gets, featuring fast-paced action, crisp passing, and quality chances at both ends. Kelowna opened the scoring at 15:32 when Thomas Poletin fired a shot from the left circle that changed direction and beat Ravensbergen. The Rockets carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
In the second period, the Cougars equalized on the power play at 12:40. Carson Carels' initial shot was stopped by Harrison Boettiger, but Gizowski pounced on the rebound and buried it. The assist extended Carels' point streak to 11 games. Prince George then took its first lead of the night at 14:14 when Townes Kozicky started a two-on-one rush and fed Koy Funk, who delivered a perfect cross-ice pass to Riley Ashe. Ashe scored his seventh goal of the season on his 20th birthday. Kelowna responded at 17:23 with a four-on-four tally from Parker Alcos, tying the game 2-2 heading into the third.
The Rockets restored the lead early in the third in fortunate fashion. Owen Folstrom's shot from the right circle struck the back boards and redirected off Ravensbergen's skate and into the net at 5:42. The Cougars pressed for the equalizer and generated several quality chances but were unable to solve Boettiger. Kelowna sealed the win with an empty-net goal from Keith McInnes at 19:38.
The Cougars will conclude the weekend set tomorrow night when they visit the Kamloops Blazers at 6:00 pm at the Sandman Centre,
Western Hockey League Stories from January 30, 2026
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