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WHL Prince George Cougars

Game Preview: Cougars vs. Thunderbirds

January 4, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


PRINCE GEORGE, BC - Tonight, at the CN Centre, the Prince George Cougars conclude the weekend and the season series against the Seattle Thunderbirds at 6:00. Tonight marks Nickelodeon Night presented by RE/MAX where the Cougars will be wearing specialty Retro Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Jerseys. These game-worn jerseys are up for auction NOW.

THE LAST GAME: Jan. 3, 2025 - PG 1 vs SEA 3

PG Goal Scorers: Valis

SEA Goal Scorers: Mathies, Pakkala, Charko

Goalies: PG: Ravensbergen (17/19 - 57:44) SEA: Malinoski (24/25 - 60:00)

PG PP: 0/3 PK: 1/1 | Shots: PG: 25 / SEA: 20

3 Stars: 1. Malinoski, SEA; 2. Mrtka, SEA; 3: Valis, PG

Noteworthy: Riley Heidt collected his 222nd career assist, marking him 14 assists shy of surpassing Mark Morrison's all-time assist record in Victoria and Prince George Cougars history.

WHOS HOT:

Riley Heidt has points in 7 of his last 8 (6-4-10) 14 of his last 16 (12-16-25)

Terik Parascak has points in 11 of his last 15 (6-16-22)

Borya Valis has points in 7 of his last 10 (5-6-11)

Aiden Foster has scored 2 goals in his last 3 games

Josh Ravensbergen has won six of his last eight starts

MILESTONE WATCH:

Riley Heidt - 222 career assists (14 away from record PG & VIC)

Riley Heidt - 249 career games played (1 away from 250)

Koehn Ziemmer - 113 career goals (8 away from Cougars record)

Jett Lajoie - 95 career games played (5 away from 100)

Borya Valis - 189 career points (11 away from 200)

Viliam Kmec - 89 career assists (11 away from 100)

Van Eger - 89 career games played (11 away from 100)

Josh Ravensbergen - 44 career wins (6 away from 50)

A LOOK AHEAD:

January 4th - vs. Seattle Thunderbirds - 6:00 pm PDT

January 7th - vs. Vancouver Giants - 7:00 pm PDT

January 8th - vs. Vancouver Giants - 6:00 pm PDT

January 10th - @ Kelowna Rockets - 7:05 pm PDT

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

SEASON SERIES LEFT: 01/04 in PG

NOTED (Team Highlights vs SEA)

The Cougars and Royals meet for the 14th time in the last five seasons in their regular season history...Prince George holds a 7-6-0-0 overall record. The Cougars are 6-1 in the last seven meetings, dating back to the 2023-24 regular season.

NOTED (Player Highlights vs SEA)

-Riley Heidt owns 19 points (8-11-19) in 13 career games against Seattle

-Terik Parascak owns 12 points (3-9-12) in 6 career games against Seattle

-Since being a member of the Cougars, Borya Valis has 8 points (3-5-8) in 7 career games against Seattle

- Koehn Ziemmer has 7 points (5-2-7) in 7 career games at Seattle

-Josh Ravensbergen is a career 4-1 against Seattle

CATS ARE HOT: The Cougars enter Saturday's contest having won five of their last six games. The Cats enter January after their season-best month of December, sporting an 8-1-0-0 record. The Cougars currently sit atop of the BC Division and second in the Western Conference.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER: Entering tonight's battle against Seattle, the Cougars are 5-4-2-1 against the US Division. The Cougars penalty kill against their opponents south of the border is an impressive 87.5% (42/48).

WHL GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK: After stopping 65 of 67 shots against the Victoria Royals on December 27th and 28th, Josh Ravensbergen has been named the WHL's Goaltender of the Week. The draft-eligible goaltender had incredible statistics, owning a 0.96 goals against average, a .970 save percentage, and two first star honours. Ravensbergen enters tonight against Seattle tied in wins in the WHL with 18.

LET TWENTY-SEVEN COOK: Riley Heidt posted an assist in the 3-1 loss last night. With that helper, he now owns points in seven of his last eight games (6-4-10) and 14 of his last 16 (9-15-24). The Cougars' all-time points and assists leader sits with 44 points this season (17-27-44) and is closing in on 250 games in the WHL. In the 249 games Heidt has played, he owns 324 points (102-222-324).

THE KID: Rookie defenceman Carson Carels picked up two assists in the win over Victoria on Saturday, December 28th, following the Holiday break. With those assists, the Cypress River, MB product is third among WHL rookie defenceman in assists (16). On the season as a whole, Carels owns 20 points (4-16-20) in 31 games played.

HOME COOKING: The Prince George Cougars have been no short of terrific at the CN Centre. The Cats have suffered just one regulation loss in the regular season at home since January 21, 2024. This season, Prince George is 10-2-3-2 at the CN Centre. In the 2023-24 campaign, the Cats finished the regular season at CN Centre with a 25-7-1-1 record.

NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING: Three Prince George Cougars have been named to NHL Central Scouting's Preliminary List. Goaltender Josh Ravensbergen and forwards Jett Lajoie and Aiden Foster were three Prince George Cougars named to the list. In total, 55 WHL players were named to the list. Ravensbergen was named an 'A' rating, which indicates the North Vancouver, BC product as a potential first-round selection. For Lajoie and Foster, they have them named a 'C' rating, which classifies the duo as a possible fourth or fifth-round pick.

RAVENSBERGEN SHINES ON BIG STAGE: Cougar goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen played at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota. The draft-eligible netminder suited up in Game 1 and earned Team CHL the victory and made 15 saves in the win. Ravensbergen was one of two selected goaltenders for Team CHL at the event.

CLIMBING THE RANKS: Veteran forwards and NHL prospects Riley Heidt and Koehn Ziemmer are on history watch. For Ziemmer, he currently sits at 113 goals, which is seven behind current Cougars' record holder Chase Witala (120). For Heidt, he is also on track for history. Heidt is 14 assists away from eclipsing Mark Morrison's all-time Cougars record (VIC & PG) who owned 235.

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