Most teams would call a third period lead a dream, but they’re starting to become a recurring nightmare for the Prince George Cougars.
The Cougars had a 4-1 lead in the third period over the Wenatchee Wild, but ultimately fell 5-4 in the shootout to their hosts at the Town Toyota Centre.
This was the third time in the Cougars now five-game losing streak the team has blown a third period lead. On October 21, the Cougars held a 3-1 lead over the Vancouver Giants in the third, but ultimately fell 5-3 after allowing three goals in a span of a minute and 21 seconds. The Cougars suffered a similar fate on October 25, when Grady Martin scored two late third period goals in short span to give the Tri-City Americans a 3-2 win over the Cougars.
The third period in Friday’s contest in Wenatchee started with the Cougars up 3-1, a lead they gained on a late second-period powerplay goal on a Corbin Vaughan shot tipped by Cole Hajt.
Cole Hajt doubles the lead in the dying seconds of the period!
@CarlsJrCA https://t.co/HSI9sbvbnY
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) October 31, 2026
In the opening minutes of the third period, Cougars forward Riley Ashe made contact with Wenatchee’s import netminder Tobias Tvrznik while driving the net, leading to Hajt and the Wild’s Rui Han dropping the gloves for a spirited bout. Behind the “play”, Koy Funk and Michal Capos dropped the mitts as well. Hajt and Han were given the standard five-minute majors for fighting, but Funk and Capos were also handed game misconducts on top of the five minutes.
The Cougars got their 4-1 lead off the stick of Jett Lajoie just 3:54 into the third period, with the Winnipeg product making a slick steal at the blue line and a nasty move on the shorthanded breakaway to put the puck past Tvrznik for his second of the game.
FOUR goals in Jett Lajoie’s last TWO games!
@CarlsJrCA https://t.co/DR2SvH4s7t
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) October 31, 2026
The Cougars’ elation was short lived. 16 seconds after Lajoie’s highlight-reel tally, Ty Coupland connected with Caelan Joudrey in the slot to get the puck behind newly-added Cougar goaltender Kason Kobelka.
The Coupland-Caelan connection makes it a 4-2 game!
#PowerOfThePack https://t.co/M6giJFm59y
— Wenatchee Wild (@WHLwild_) October 31, 2026
From there, it was a familiar sight as the Cougars watch their lead evaporate. 7:23 into the third Tate Hardacre laid a booming hit on Dade Wotherspoon, which led to Grady Wedman finding Mathias Silaban in the slot to cut the lead to 4-3.
Two power play goals give way to an even strength tally from Mathias Silaban to cut the lead to one!
#PowerOfThePack https://t.co/JXvLaSY6Th
— Wenatchee Wild (@WHLwild_) October 31, 2026
The Wild tied it 9:46 into the third period when Joudrey found Boston Tait crashing the slot with speed, and putting a perfect shot past Kobelka.
The score remained tied from there, but the Cougars were given a golden opportunity for a win. With seven seconds on the clock, Rui Han fired a puck into the PG Cougars net, sending the 2,174 fans at the Town Toyota Centre into a frenzy that didn’t last long. The goal was waved off immediately with Kalen Miles crashing into Kobelka and being sent off for a two minute penalty.
The Cougars couldn’t capitalize on the powerplay, most of which happened in the overtime period with the Cougars playing 4-on-3, and the game went to a shootout. After misses from the first three shooters on both teams, Kayden Longley solved Kobelka with a glove-side shot to give the Wild the first goal of the shootout in the fourth round. Minnesota Wild Prospect Kayden Lemire extended the shootout, putting a wrist shot over the stick-side shoulder of Tvrznik.
Coupland put the pressure back on the Cougars, beating Kobelka between the wickets in the fifth round. The Cougars called on Kash Andresen, but his shot was turned aside by Tvrznik.
“”I think first and foremost, that point’s huge for your group, especially with the mud that we’re in right now,” said Cougars Assistant Coach Carter Rigby on the post-game show on 94.3 the Goat. “I thought we came out to a solid road period, it’s 0-0, you’re good with things, and we kind of take off in the second, give up a 5-on-3 goal, it’s the only thing they really had, and set ourselves up for success going into the third,” Rigby said. “That first minute, this barn gets going, the ice definitely started to tilt and we panicked and unfortunately dropped that one, but like I said, that points huge.”
In the third period the Wild outshot the Cougars 20-16. The final shots were 42-37 in favour of the Cougars.
The wild finish in the third followed a second period that was just as wild. Lajoie, and Hajt, and Townes Kozicky each scored in the middle frame, as there was a bit of a parade to the penalty box for both teams. The Cougars were even penalized twice on the same play, with Arsenii Ansimov and Lemire headed to the box at 10:58 to put the Wild on the two-man advantage, which Coupland capitalized on for Wenatchee.
The box score is here.
The Cougars (3-7-0-2) are at the bottom of the WHL standings, which can be found here.
The Cougars quick two-game road trip ends on Sunday in Vancouver.
The full Cougars schedule is here.
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