Five years have gone by quickly for Fraser Rodgers, the now former voice of the Prince George Cougars.
Rodgers is heading to the Penticton Vees to take on a similar role he held with the Cats.
“It means a lot working here,” Rodgers said.
“I bought my first house in Prince George, my daughter was born here, so a lot happened for my wife and I here, and it really did feel like home for five years.”
Rodgers said some of his best memories calling the Cougars came from this season.
“There was some must win-games down the stretch, I don’t know if it’s one specific game, but maybe one that comes to mind is when the Cougars beat Victoria at home, their last home game of the year against the Royals,” Rodgers said.
“Ethan Samson scored the game-winner late on the powerplay with about 3,000 people in the building, and the energy when he scored that powerplay goal, and what it meant to basically help solidify a playoff spot.”
He said the next game that was played in Kamloops was special as well.
“The second to last regular season game of the year, top team in BC, one of the top teams in the Western Conference, the Cougars had to go there to win to keep their playoffs hopes alive,” he said.
“They come out with the biggest win probably this season, and seeing the reaction in the final seconds on the bench, watching the clock tick down and knowing that they basically clinched a playoff spot, and how much it meant to the players.”
The first game Rodgers ever called in the WHL came on September 22nd, 2017, the night the Cougars raised their BC Division Champions banner.
The last was the final game of a sweep at the hands of the Portland Winterhawks and former PG Cougar Taylor Gauthier.
We know @Fraser_PG isn’t the only one welling up right now 😢
Once more, from everyone in the organization, THANK YOU @tgoats_35! We don’t have enough kind words. We love you, good luck in round 2, and hopefully beyond. ❤️🖤🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🖤❤️ pic.twitter.com/FjTMQJm6Gw
— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) April 28, 2022
“It’s funny, a lot of people tell you ‘when you move to Prince George, if you’re an outsider you never leave,’ you become entrenched in the community right away, and it really felt like that, and it felt like home,” Rodgers said.
Prince George local Cole Waldie will be taking over the mic from Rodger this upcoming season.
Thank you, PG.
It’s time to head down south. pic.twitter.com/OP0MNQwh5Z
— Fraser Rodgers (@Fraser_Vees) June 10, 2022