Game Preview: Cougars vs. Vees: 01/07/25
WHL Prince George Cougars

Game Preview: Cougars vs. Vees: 01/07/25

Published on January 7, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


PRINCE GEORGE, BC - The Prince George Cougars conclude a double-header midweek battle with the Penticton Vees tonight at 7:00.

vs. VEES: Tonight marks the fourth meeting of the season between the Prince George Cougars and the Penticton Vees. The Vees currently sport a 3-0-0-0 season series record against the Cougars heading into tonight. The two teams still meet three more times following tonight's contest.

LAST GAME: 5-2 Loss vs Penticton Vees: The Prince George Cougars dropped a 5-2 decision to the Penticton Vees on Tuesday, January 6th at the CN Centre. Kooper Gizowski and Carson Carels scored the Prince George goals and Alexander Levshyn made 36 saves. The Cougars power-play finished 2-5 while Penticton was 0 for 3 with the extra man.

2025-2026 REGULAR SEASON SERIES:

December 17/2025 - at Penticton (5-2 PEN)

January 1/2026 - at Penticton (6-5 PEN/OT)

January 6/2026 - vs Penticton (5-2 PEN)

January 7/2026 - vs Penticton

February 16/2026 - at Penticton

March 10/2026 - vs Penticton

UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

January 10/2026 - vs Everett

January 11/2026 - vs Everett

January 16/2026 - at Kamloops

January 17/2026 - at Kelowna

January 18/2026 - at Vancouver

January 23/2026 - vs Vancouver

January 24/2026 - vs Vancouver

2025-2026 REGULAR SEASON LEADERS:

Goals (19) - Terik Parascak

Assists (30) - Brock Souch

Points (46) - Kooper Gizowski

Penalty Minutes (64) - Aiden Foster

Plus/Minus (+8) Brock Souch, Arsenii Anisimov

Wins (16) - Josh Ravensbergen

Goals Against Average (2.50) - Josh Ravensbergen

Save Percentage (.921) - Josh Ravensbergen

Shutouts (2) - Josh Ravensbergen

LAST FIVE GAMES:

January 6/2026 - vs Everett (5-2 EVT)

January 3/2026 - vs Calgary (4-2 CGY)

January 1/2026 - at Penticton (6-5 PEN/OT)

December 30/2025 - at Kamloops (5-3 KAM)

December 28/2025 - vs Victoria (3-2 PG/OT)

December 27/2025 - vs Victoria (6-1 VIC)

REGULAR SEASON MILESTONE WATCH:

Bauer Dumanski is 5 points away from 100 career points

Terik Parascak is 10 goals away from 100 career goals

Terik Parascak is 8 assists away from 150 career assists

Carson Carels is 4 games away from 100 career games

Kooper Gizowski is 7 points away from 150 career points

Arsenii Anisimov is 4 games away from 100 career games

WHO'S HOT:

Terik Parascak has points in 4 of his last 5games (0-6-6)

Josh Ravensbergen has won 8 straight games; 10 of his last 11

Carson Carels has points in 7 of 8 games (4-4-8); 9 of his last 11 (4-8-12)

Kooper Gizowski has points in 3 straight games (2-1-3)

Brock Souch has points in 4 straight games (3-2-5)

Lee Shurgot has points in 4 of his last 5 games (1-3-4)

COUGARS NEWS AND NOTES:

THRU 38: The Prince George Cougars enter tonight with a 23-13-2-0 record (48 points) on the season after 38 games. The Cougars are 12-7-0-0 at home and 11-6-2-0 on the road. The Cats posted a 6-3-1-0 record in the month of December. The Cougars own the WHL's top power-play, going 45-135 (33.13). As for the penalty kill, the Cats ranks third in the WHL at 83.3%.

CALLED UP: On Friday, January 2nd, The Cougars have called up defenceman Cooper Bratton (09) from the Regina Pat Canadians of the Saskatchewan Under 18 league. Bratton, a signed prospect of the Cougars, was selected in the second round by the Cats in the 2024 WHL Prospect Draft. This season with the Pat Canadians, the Moosomin, SK product owns 25 points in 24 games and is also the team captain.

WELCOME BACK: The Cougars welcome back goaltender Josh Ravensbergen and 2026 draft eligible defenceman Carson Carels back to the lineup. The Cougar duo returns after earning a bronze medal at the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship in St. Paul, MN.

ROSTER MOVES: 20-year-old forward Shaun Rios has cleared 20-year-old WHL waivers. Entering tonight, the Cougars have one open 20-year-old spot ahead of the WHL trade deadline on Thursday, January 8th.

WELCOME BACK ETHAN HAMILTON: The Cougars have re-called forward Ethan Hamilton (08). Hamilton, 17, has played nine games this season with the Cougars. Hamilton was a fifth-round pick by the Cougars in the 2025 WHL Prospect's Draft.

WHL TOP PROSPECTS: Defenceman Carson Carels will be one of the 40 skaters to participate in the WHL Top Prospects game on February 18th at the Langley Events Centre. Carels will be one of the blue-liners for the Western Conference. More names will be announced leading up to the Top Prospects Game.

TRADE WITH RED DEER: On Monday, December 15, the Cougars traded forward Patrick Sopiarz (08) to the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for a 2026 third round pick and a conditional fourth round pick in 2029. In 79 career games with the Cougars, Sopiarz owned six points (4-2-6).

HOME SWEET HOME: Tonight's matchup against the Hitmen will mark the Cougars 18th home game of the season. The Cats own an impressive 12-5-0-0 record at CN Centre. Tonight marks the one and only time PG will host the Hitmen. The Cougars own a winning percentage of .706 at home which ranks first in the BC Division.

200 WINS: On Wednesday, December 3rd, General Manager and Head Coach Mark Lamb earned his 200th career win behind the bench as the bench boss for Prince George. Lamb becomes just the second Cougars coach in team history to reach this mark. Ed Dempsey is currently the Cougars' winningest coach with 216 wins. Throughout Lamb's 200 victories showed multiple accolades including a BC Division Crown in 2024, and the WHL's Coach and Executive of the Year in 2023-24.

Check out the Prince George Cougars Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from January 7, 2026


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