Game Preview: Cougars at Blazers
January 11, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release
KAMLOOPS, BC - Tonight, at the Sandman Centre, the Prince George Cougars battle their division rival Kamloops Blazers at 6:00 pm.
THE LAST GAME: Jan. 10, 2025 - PG 3 at KEL 6
PG Goal Scorers: Foster, Riche, Lemire
KEL Goal Scorers: Graham, Stancl (3), Sharpe, Gerwing
Goalies: PG: Michaluk (32/38 - 60:00) KEL: Pilon (32/35- 60:00)
PG PP: 0/2 PK: 5/6 | Shots: PG: 35 / KEL: 38
3 Stars: 1. Stancl, KEL; 2. Gerwing, KEL; 3: Graham, KEL
Noteworthy: Ben Riche netted his second goal as a Prince George Cougar in as many games. He now has points in 11 straight games.
WHO'S HOT:
Riley Heidt has points in 5 of his last 6 (5-6-11) 10 of his last 12 (9-8-17)
Terik Parascak has points in 4 of his last 6 (2-6-8) in 14 of his last 19 (7-20-27)
Ben Riche has points in 11 consecutive games (8-9-17)
Borya Valis has points in 5 of his last 6 (3-5-8) 10 of his last 14 (7-12-19)
Josh Ravensbergen has won five of his last six starts
Cooper Michaluk has won 3 of his last four starts
MILESTONE WATCH:
Riley Heidt - 226 career assists (10 away from record PG & VIC)
Koehn Ziemmer - 113 career goals (8 away from Cougars record)
Jett Lajoie - 99 career games played (1 away from 100)
Borya Valis - 195 career points (5 away from 200)
Viliam Kmec - 90 career assists (19 away from 100)
Van Eger - 89 career games played (11 away from 100)
Josh Ravensbergen - 46 career wins (5 away from 50)
Aleksey Chichkin - 94 career games played (6 away from 100)
Ben Riche - 48 career goals (3 away from 50)
A LOOK AHEAD:
January 11th - @ Kamloops Blazers - 6:00 pm PDT
January 17th - @ Spokane Chiefs - 7:05 pm PDT
January 18th - @ Everett Silvertips - 6:05 pm PDT
January 24th - vs Brandon Wheat Kings - 7:00 pm PDT
January 25th - vs Kamloops Blazers - 6:00 pm
January 28th - vs Swift Current Broncos - 7:00 pm
January 31st - vs. Tri-City Americans - 7:00 pm
February 1st - vs. Tri-City Americans - 6:00 pm
February 4th - at Tri City Americans - 7:05 pm
February 7th - at Kelowna Rockets - 7:05 pm
February 8th - at Kamloops Blazers - 6:00 pm
February 14th - vs. Everett Silvertips - 7:00 pm
THE LAST GAME vs KAM: Dec. 7, 2024 - PG 6 vs KAM 3
PG Goal Scorers: Carels, Foster, Laing (2), Ziemmer, Heidt
KAM Goal Scorers: Finnie, Keller (2)
Goalies: PG: Ravensbergen (25/28 - 60:00) KAM: Edmonstone (39/45 - 60:00)
PG PP: 2/6 PK: 1/3 | Shots: PG: 45 / KAM: 28
3 Stars: 1. Laing, PG; 2. Carels, PG; 3: Ziemmer, PG
Noteworthy: Carson Carels scored the 2024 Teddy Bear Toss goal for the Cougars and was named the games second star.
SEASON SERIES LEFT: 01/11 at KAM, 01/25 at PG, 02/08 at KAM, 02/28 at PG, 03/01 at KAM
NOTED (Team Highlights vs KAM)
The Cougars and Blazers meet for the 38th time in the last five seasons in their regular season history...Prince George holds a 18-15-3-2 overall record. The Cougars are 10-0-0-1 in the last eleven meetings, dating back to the 2023-24 regular season.
NOTED (Player Highlights vs KAM)
-Riley Heidt owns 47 points (22-25-47) in 38 career games against Kamloops
-Koehn Ziemmer owns 29 points (11-18-30) in 33 career games against Kamloops
-Terik Parascak has 18 points (5-13-18) in 11 career games against Kamloops
-Josh Ravensbergen is a career 6-0 against Kamloops
CATS ARE HOT: The Cougars enter Saturday's contest having won eight of their last ten games. The Cats enter January after their season-best month of December, sporting an 8-1-0-0 record. The Cougars sit atop the BC Division and are second in the Western Conference.
THE PRICE IS RICHE: On Wednesday, January 8th, the Prince George Cougars acquired sniper Ben Riche (05) from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for Hunter Laing, Luke Dumas, a first-round pick in 2026, and a fifth-round pick in 2028. Riche has had a monster season, owning 54 points (23-31-54) in 37 games played before joining PG. In his debut on Wednesday against Vancouver, Riche netted his first goal as a Cougar which resulted being the game winning goal.
MAKING MOVES: On Thursday, January 9th, Prince George acquired forward Cole Peardon from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick. Peardon, a former first-round pick, owns five points (1-4-5) in 23 games. On Tuesday, January 7th, the Cougars acquired 6'5 defenceman Aleksey Chichkin (05) from the Regina Pats in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2027. The Vancouver, BC native owns seven points (3-4-7) in 33 games this season.
CATS DO BC: Entering tonight's battle against Kelowna, the Cougars are 14-3-0-1 against the BC Division. The Cougars have outscored their BC division foes 83-56, and are connecting at 25% on the power-play.
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