Whether it was a mini-line brawl or a brief third period comeback, the Prince George Cougars showed some vital signs against the WHL’s top team.
Unfortunately, the next opportunity to deposit two points into the bank will have to wait until Friday at the earliest.
Kayd Ruedig’s point shot with 10:00 minutes remaining in the third period proved to be the dagger as the Everett Silvertips outlasted the Cougars by a 6-4 score in front of 3,692 fans at CN Centre on Sunday afternoon.
The heart-wrenching defeat extended the Cougars winless skid to seven games (0-6-1-0) as well as a 1-7-2 mark in their last ten outings.
“I liked our game a lot better tonight. We fought better in the third, we didn’t sit back and it was a real aggressive game. When you are in a slump or a losing streak you must do different things – we did positive things tonight even though we didn’t get out of it.”
“We just have to keep pushing that same way,” said Mark Lamb, Cougars head coach and general manager to MyPGNow.com.
The temperature of the hard-fought contest started to percolate after a hit on star PG forward Terik Parascak inside the Everett blueline which drew a crowd in the first period.
Then in the second, a questionable check in front of the Silvertips bench by Clarke Schaeffer on Cougars defenseman Carson Carels allowed everyone on the ice to grab a dance partner.
When the music stopped, the officiating crew penalized Everett’s Lukas Kaplan (10-minute misconduct), Brek Liske (roughing minor) and Schaeffer (fighting major).
All about making friends at the CN Centre. @CarlsJrCA https://t.co/iWW4M8Bh5w pic.twitter.com/mhwlJBemiU
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) January 12, 2026
Arsenii Anisimov (cross-checking and fighting), Jett Lajoie (roughing) and Kayden Lemire (10-minute misconduct) were the guilty parties for PG.
A Kooper Gizwoski one-timer on the power-play made it 1-0 Cougars after 20 minutes, but the Silvertips methodically sliced and diced their way through the CN Centre ice shortly afterwards.
Have we seen this from Giz before? Yes. Are we tired of seeing it? No. @CarlsJrCA https://t.co/MGHcl5koo9 pic.twitter.com/cDbzuvkB9O
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) January 11, 2026
Matias Vanhanen capitalized on a Ruedig feed at 3:28 of the second period to even the score at 1-1.
Five minutes later, 16-year-old blueline sensation Landon Dupont sniped a point shot that beat Cougars netminder Josh Ravensbergen putting Everett in the driver’s seat.
The pain went from bad to worse for the struggling Cougars as super-pest Jaxsin Vaughan batted an airborne puck out of the air and into the yawning cage, giving the Tips a two-goal spread.
Left with little choice but to soldier on, the Cougars put their work boots on and dug themselves out of a few holes in the third period.
Lajoie lit the first spark on the power-play deflecting a Kaeson Fisher point shot past opposing goalie Raiden LeGall.
Jett on the spot!@CarlsJrCA https://t.co/UCBkQJdTLb pic.twitter.com/kqnVsvYik0
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) January 12, 2026
Fisher was acquired from the Silvertips on Wednesday just prior to the WHL Trade Deadline and was previously starring with the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Winkler Flyers.
After a defensive breakdown, Rhys Jamieson restored Everett’s two goal edge with a hard wrist shot that Ravensbergen had no chance on.
PG refused to go away quietly as it was the secondary scoring that came through in the clutch. Riley Ashe buried a juicy rebound courtesy of a Townes Kozicky pass to make it 4-3.
Riley Ashe puts home his own rebound!@CarlsJrCA https://t.co/LV6x10k7RP pic.twitter.com/RRQYWIBeNR
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) January 12, 2026
Gizowski added his second of the contest on the man-advantage bringing the home side back on to even terms.
Vaughan added an empty netter, also his second of the contest, to seal the weekend sweep for the Silvertips.
As the final buzzer sounded, Everett (31-5-2-1) outshot Prince George 34-25. One bright spot for the Cougars was a 3-for-5 showing on the power-play while the Tips went just 1-for-5.
PG (23-16-2-0) is seven points back of the Penticton Vees (24-9-4-3) for top spot in the B.C. Division – Penticton has a game in hand.
Due to the Cougars’ recent struggles, the Western Conference has suddenly become much tighter. A mere eight points separate third from ninth in the standings.
“That’s what happens when you lose seven in a row. We aren’t moving and other teams are moving. We aren’t out of the woods yet; we never thought that we were even before this thing started – that is not how we think. We are in this thing right now and we must get out of it.” added Lamb.
The Cougars are off until Friday when they begin a quick three-game road swing in Kamloops against the high-flying Blazers.
“What matters is we need to get practice, and we need to get rest. We have had one practice since before Christmas and when you look at our team right now, we are a team that gets up and down the ice, and we are not getting up and down the ice. We are short a quart – we had a lot of sickness, and we don’t have our skating legs and then only place to find that is in practice,” added Lamb.
Puck drop is at 7pm from Sandman Centre.
Brother versus Brother
The battle of the siblings went to Jaxsin Vaughn, who was matched up with his brother Corbin.
After a few hard crunches into the boards by his equally as physical twin sibling, the 19-year-old from Merritt, showed little brotherly love on the score board with a pair of goals on the scoresheet Sunday.
Everett has 15 players with double-digit points as the team’s depth shined bright in the big moments.
“We are a deep team up front and on the back end now that we made a couple of moves and we have faith in everyone here and we believe in each other. What makes us so successful is the belief we have in the room. We are tight,” Vaughan said to MyPGNow.com
Jaxsin and Corbin broke into the WHL with the Regina Pats in the 2022-23 season before getting dealt separately last winter.
Now, playing in the same conference, 12 hours apart, getting matched up against each other took some getting used to.
“It’s still weird for me for sure. I don’t take it any easier on him, but it is weird seeing the last name and a familiar face,” said Jaxsin.
The Merritt B.C. native has 12 goals and 19 points this season with Everett while brother Corbin has 11 points in 33 outings in a PG uniform.
The Next One?
Prince George hockey fans also got a glimpse into the 2027 NHL Draft Class locking eyes with star Silvertips defenseman Landon Dupont.
After receiving exceptional status to play full-time last season as a 15-year-old, the Calgary product is picking up right where he left off with 32 points in 34 games so far in 2025-26.
Dupont had an astounding 60-point campaign as an under-ager, which included 17 goals and 43 assists.
The son of Kamloops Blazers alumni Micki Dupont had no shortage of expectations coming out of the Calgary-based Edge Academy.
To get away from all the outside noise, Landon always circles back to his love for the game.
“I always think about why I play hockey. It is a fun sport and adding that pressure on me and any other player makes it harder on yourself and less fun as well. I like to play the game I love and enjoy it with my teammates.”
Having a front row seat to what it takes to become a pro, the 16-year-old noted staying hungry and wanting to be better for each, and every game was instilled in him from a young age.
“He knows what it’s like to be in the Western league and try and get out to the next level and adding things to my toolbox will help me get to the next level.”
“He just said give it your all and everything you’ve got. The biggest thing he taught me was if you are going to do something, do it to the best of your ability that is probably the one that has stuck with me the most.”
Micki had a decorated pro career winning the Spengler Cup in 2006 with Berlin of the DEL, Germany’s top pro league.
He was also a two-team league champion with Berlin where he spent seven seasons. Micki went to Switzerland for seven years suiting up for EV Zug and the Kloten Flyers.
The 45-year-old spent time in the American Hockey League with the Saint John Flames, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and the Peoria Rivermen, capturing the Calder Cup on one occasion (2000-01).
He played in 23 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues.
Micki’s best season with the Blazers was in 1999-00, which led him to be named both the CHL and WHL Defenseman of the Year.
He led all blueliners with 26 goals and 62 assists.
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