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WHL Prince George Cougars

Zac Funk Hits 50-Goal Milestone In Dominant Victory Over Blazers

February 17, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


PRINCE GEORGE, BC - The Prince George Cougars concluded their four-game home stand with an impressive streak of four consecutive victories, culminating in a dominant 7-1 win over the Kamloops Blazers on Friday at the CN Centre.

The night shone brightly for Zac Funk, who etched his name in history by notching his 50th and 51st goals of the season, becoming only the third Prince George Cougar ever to achieve the remarkable 50-goal milestone.

The game ignited with a defensive play by Viliam Kmec, who made a crucial goal-line stop with his stick just 29 seconds into the game. However, it was the Kamloops Blazers who struck first, with Ashton Ferster firing the opening goal at 14:28 to take a 1-0 lead. The Cougars swiftly responded as Zac Funk netted his 50th goal of the campaign at 17:25, levelling the score at 1-1 as the first period concluded.

The momentum then firmly shifted in favour of the Cats, who dominated with five unanswered goals. Carlin Dezainde showcased his scoring prowess, finding the net twice at 3:22 and 6:51, elevating his season goal tally to 19. Funk continued his scoring spree with another goal at 8:31, followed by Riley Heidt's short-handed tally at 11:36. Prince George didn't relent, as Borya Valis capitalized on a beautifully executed passing play orchestrated by Funk and Ondrej Becher, extending Prince George's lead to 6-1 at the end of the second period. Notably, Prince George outshot Kamloops 21-5 in the second period alone.

In the final frame, Prince George sealed their victory when Chase Pauls unleashed a powerful shot from the right point, beating goaltender Jesse Sanche, who replaced Dylan Ernst in the third period. The Cougars coasted to a resounding 7-1 triumph, improving their season record to 36-15-0-2 and positioning themselves just one point behind the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks.

FINAL SCORE:

KAM: 1 PG: 7

FINAL SHOTS:

KAM: 23 PG: 46

POWER-PLAYS:

KAM: 0-2 PG: 0-3

GOALTENDING:

KAM: Dylan Ernst - 40:00 - 26/32 | Jesse Sanche 20:00 - 13/14

PG: Josh Ravensbergen - 60:00 - 22/23

3 STARS:

1.PG: Zac Funk (2-2-4)

2.PG: Carlin Dezainde (2-0-2)

3.PG: Terik Parascak (0-3-3)

Check out the Prince George Cougars Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from February 17, 2024


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