The Prince George Cougars fell 4-3 in the first of two preseason matchups against the Edmonton Oil Kings last night (Friday) in Grande Cache, Alberta.
The powerplay was the difference as the Cougars found themselves in the box nine times, allowing two powerplay goals.
Ondrej Becher kicked off the scoring for the Cats with a short-handed breakaway, with Terik Parascak and Keaton Dowhaniuk picking up the assists.
“Bechs, you notice his skating, he takes off with the puck, especially on the powerplay, we drop to him, he definitely fills a hole there,” said Assistant Coach Carter Rigby in a post-game interview with the Voice of the Cougars, Cole Waldie.
Carlin Dezainde also picked up a pair of markers.
“Dez played great too, had another beautiful goal like he’s been doing all training camp, which is nice to see,” Rigby said.
“It was nice to see him and [Oren] Shtrom get a lot of chemistry.”
Assistant Coach Carter Rigby chats post-game after a pre-season tilt with Edmonton in Grande Cache.#ForTheNorth • #WHL pic.twitter.com/IjhJLiSP1o
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) September 16, 2023
The Cougars led 3-2 with around 15 minutes left in the game, but two third-period goals by the Oil Kings sealed the win for Edmonton.
The Cougars outshot the Oil Kings 49-29.
The Cats will wrap up their preseason tomorrow (Sunday) with another game against the Oil Kings.
The Cougars will play their open their season at home against the Tri-City Americans on Friday.