Carson Carels had his Seitz set on a rockstar-like homecoming and didn’t disappoint.
The 17-year-old from Cypress River, Manitoba put on a performance to remember, tallying a goal and an assist with his own cheering section located right behind the visiting bench.
It helped guide the Prince George Cougars to a 4-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday night in front of 3,279 fans at Assiniboine Credit Union Place.
After a Luke Mistelbacher goal put the Wheat Kings ahead 1-0 at the conclusion of 20 minutes, the Cougars turned the tables and played keep away.
Terik Parascak began the offensive fireworks for PG less than a minute into the second period cashing in on a rebound shorthanded beating import netminder Filip Ruzicka to even the score.
PG’s middle period dominance was aided by four consecutive power-plays with the hometown hero ready to strike.
While on a 5-on-3, Carels let a slap shot ripple the back of the mesh past Ruzicka sending his large cheering section into a frenzy. As the final buzzer sounded to conclude the second period, the Cougars outshot Brandon 26-4.
Nicholas Johnson picked the Wheaties off the mat at 5:09 of the third period, capitalizing on a Cougars defensive breakdown, sneaking the puck past Josh Ravensbergen for a 2-2 game.
The momentum wouldn’t last though as an under-the-radar trade deadline pickup rose to the occasion.
Dawson Seitz was awarded a penalty shot after being mauled by a trailing Wheat Kings defender. The 20-year-old busted in with speed and blasted a wrist shot past the stick side of the Ruzicka.
Parascak collected his second of the game via an empty net at 19:27 of the third to put the icing on the cake.
The Cougars (35-20-2-0) outshot Brandon 50-24 and went 1-for-3 on the power-play while the Wheat Kings (34-23-1-0) were 0-for-5.
Carels, who spent three years at the Pilot Mound Academy in southern Manitoba was named second star.
PG improves to 4-1 on an eight-game road trip that continues tonight (Wednesday) in Regina against the Pats (21-27-6-1).
Ex-Cougars Caden Brown and Ephram McNutt are first and fourth in team scoring for the Pats.
The Cats are now three points up on the Kelowna Rockets for second place in the B.C. Division.
In addition, Tuesday’s win also re-wrote history as head coach Mark Lamb picked up his 217th victory behind the bench, surpassing Ed Dempsey for first all-time.
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