Tempers Flare, Goals Pour in as Cougars Claim Game 1
WHL Prince George Cougars

Tempers Flare, Goals Pour in as Cougars Claim Game 1

Published on March 27, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


PRINCE GEORGE, BC - Playoff hockey returned to the CN Centre in emphatic fashion Friday night as the Prince George Cougars opened their post-season with a 6-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs.

In a game filled with intensity - and more than 60 minutes in penalties - the Cougars used a dominant special teams performance and a massive second period to seize control of Game 1.

Brock Souch led the offence with two goals, while Arsenii Anisimov, Aiden Foster, Terik Parascak, and Bauer Dumanski each added singles. Josh Ravensbergen made 19 saves on 22 shots to earn the win.

Prince George's power play proved decisive, finishing 3-for-5, while Spokane went 1-for-3 with the man advantage. The Cougars did lose defenceman Carson Carels in the first period after a heavy hit. "Our execution was a little clunky in the first period, but our power play got us back into it," said GM and Head Coach Mark Lamb. "That was a playoff game. It was hard, it was physical, and in the last two periods we really took control."

The game opened at a frantic pace. Aiden Foster buried his first of the post-season just 51 seconds in, but Spokane responded 29 seconds later as Assanali Sarkenov tied the game at 1:20.

Moments later, Foster dropped the gloves with Owen Schoettler at the 2:56 mark, igniting the 5,400+ fans in attendance.

Spokane grabbed momentum late in the period with goals from Owen Martin (PP) at 8:06 and Sam Oremba at 16:48 to take a 3-1 lead into the intermission. Late in the frame, Brody Gillespie was assessed a four-minute boarding penalty after a hit on Carson Carels that ended the defenceman's night.

The second period belonged entirely to Prince George.

The Cougars outshot Spokane 22-3 and began their comeback early. Arsenii Anisimov made it 3-2 on the power play at 2:17. Later in the period, Spokane's Assanali Sarkenov received a game misconduct for a hit to the head on Tyorne Sobry, giving Prince George a five-minute power play.

Terik Parascak capitalized at 13:31, tapping home his first of the playoffs to tie the game at three through 40 minutes.

Prince George carried that momentum into the third.

Just 1:26 in, Brock Souch wired home a power-play marker to give the Cougars their first lead since the opening minute. Souch struck again at 11:41 to make it 5-3 before Bauer Dumanski sealed the game with a point shot that beat Carter Esler, extending the lead to 6-3.

The two teams meet again Saturday night for Game 2 at 6:00 PM at the CN Centre. Tickets are available now.

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 27, 2026


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