Cougars Knock off Rockets in 4-2 Road Win
WHL Prince George Cougars

Cougars Knock off Rockets in 4-2 Road Win

Published on December 4, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


KELOWNA, BC - The Prince George Cougars are back in the win column, earning a hard-fought 4-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday at Prospera Place. Carson Carels, Dmitri Yakutsenak, Brock Souch, and Jett Lajoie supplied the offence, while Josh Ravensbergen turned aside 30 of 32 shots to anchor the win. The win also marked Head Coach and GM Mark Lamb's 200th victory behind the Cougars bench.

The Cougars came out flying and opened the scoring at 10:07 of the first period, when Carson Carels ripped a shot from the high slot after a strong setup by Arsenii Anisimov and Kooper Gizowski. Prince George doubled its lead at 14:27, with Dmitri Yakutsenak burying his 11th of the season off a sharp feed from Aiden Foster. Kelowna responded late as Gabriel Guilbault beat Ravensbergen at 17:34 to make it 2-1. Tensions then spiked when Hayden Paupanekis delivered a late hit on Carels, prompting Corbin Vaughan to step in and drop the gloves with the Montreal Canadiens prospect. The Cougars carried a 2-1 lead into the intermission.

Prince George wasted no time on an early second-period power play, striking just 36 seconds in. The WHL's top-ranked power play clicked again, this time with Brock Souch unloading a laser from the left circle to restore PG's two-goal cushion. Another bout followed at 3:08, with Jack Finnegan and Dawson Gerwing squaring off. Ravensbergen delivered several key stops throughout the frame, but the Rockets drew closer at 13:29 when Tomas Poletin weaved through traffic and set up Paupanekis at the back door, trimming the lead to 3-2 through 40 minutes.

In the third, the Cougars locked things down defensively, limiting chances and getting strong minutes throughout the lineup-highlighted by a standout effort from Vaughan in his own end. Prince George sealed the game at 16:25, when Jett Lajoie snapped a perfect shot past Harrison Boettiger to make it 4-2. The Cats closed it out from there, improving to 2-1-0-0 on their five-game road trip.

"I think our goaltending was outstanding," said Associate Coach Jim Playfair. "What can you say about Rav (Ravensbergen), he's certainly got to be on Team Canada's radar and I think Carson Carels is right there with him. I thought he was also outstanding tonight.Tonight was also easily the best game Corbin Vaughan has played as a Prince George Cougar, he did so many good things. He managed the puck, he moved pucks out of the zone. He was playing with different partners it felt like every shift and just played a real mature game."

POST-GAME INTERVIEW WITH ASSOCIATE COACH JIM PLAYFAIR

https://media.chl.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2025/12/04042238/12-03-2025-Post-Game-Jim-Playfair.mp3

Next up, the Cougars road swing continues into Victoria as the Cougars visit the Victoria Royals for two games, which begins Friday, December 5th at 7:00 pm at the Save on Foods Memorial Centre.

Check out the Prince George Cougars Statistics

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