Would the Prince George Cougars rather play the Kelowna Rockets or the Seattle Thunderbirds in the first round of the WHL playoffs?
Finishing 4th in the B.C. Division has an advantage over 3rd place if one would rather face the Thunderbirds.
Kelowna will finish 2nd, meaning the Rockets will play the 3rd place team, which currently is the Kamloops Blazers.
The Blazers have won seven straight to enjoy a four point lead over the Cats.
P.G. can still overtake the Blazers if they sweep this weekend’s double-header in regulation time to close out the regular season. (The Cats win a tie-breaker based on more wins)
But do they want to?
The Rockets are without starting goalie Jackson Whistle and sniper Nick Merkley (2015 first round pick of the Arizona Coyotes) but they still have several players that competed in last year’s Memorial Cup final.
Often there is no substitute for experience.
Over the last several years, the Cougars have fared much better against Seattle than Kelowna.
In 2015-16, P.G. was 2-2 against the Thunderbirds and 2-4-1-1 against the Rockets.
Kelowna won the last five head to head match-ups.
Over the last five seasons, the Cougars are just 8-29-1-2 against the Rockets, including 5-14-0-1 in Kelowna.
In the same stretch, the Cats are 11-7-1-1 against the Thunderbirds, including a whopping 8-2 record in Seattle.
Since the Cougars will not have home ice advantage, it is evident, on paper, they would fare much better against the Thunderbirds.
However, there are some intangibles to consider:
The Thunderbirds are playing their best hockey of the season riding an 11 game win streak, while the Rockets have just five victories in their last 10.
Seattle has been a much better team since acquiring Landon Bow mid-season from the Swift Current Broncos.
Bow is the WHL & CHL goalie of the week for games that ended March 13th.
He posted a 2-0 record with a goals-against-average of 1.00 and save percentage of .962.
The 20-year-old from St. Albert has been excellent since joining Seattle with a 14-6 record, five shutouts, a goals-against-average of 1.75, and save percentage of .939.
Overall this season, his goals-against-average of 2.49 ranks third among WHL goalies while his .923 save percentage is best.
So, is it better to try and score on Bow or Kelowna’s Michael Herringer who is 19th in save percentage (.900) and 20th in GAA (3.19)?
The Cougars, like just about every other team, will suggest it doesn’t matter the opposition because it is a new season where everyone is 0-0 and it’s about how “they” play and not the opposition.
This may be true, but away from the media, players and coaches usually have a preference for an opponent.
If the Cougars want the Rockets they better beat the Blazers twice in regulation.
But do they have the motivation to do that?
It’s an interesting scenario, where 3rd isn’t necessarily better than 4th.
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Prince George is arguably enjoying its best midget hockey season ever.
The Ryan Howse coached P.G. Midget Tier 1 Cougars are Provincial champions!
They excelled with seven tournament wins, capped off with a 4-2 victory over Kelowna in the Provincial final in Comox.
The LJ Contracting Cougars of P.G. captured bronze on home ice at the B.C. Hockey Midget Tier 2 championship at Kin 1.
The P.G. based Cariboo Cougars are going for a BC Major Midget League Provincial title this weekend when they visit the Valley West Hawks in the best of 3 final.
Prince George Minor Hockey and the entire community can be proud of these excellent achievements in the 15-to-17 year old age category.
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Kenny Lally’s Olympic dream isn’t quite over yet.
The Prince George Inner City fighter is expected to give it one more shot at the World Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan in June.
The 26-year-old Lally is trying to recover from the most difficult loss of his career.
Lally lost a unanimous decision to Jose Vicente Diaz of Venezuela at the 2016 American Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The seven-time Canadian champion finished with a 1-and-1 record and was eliminated in the Bantamweight 56 Kilos quarter-finals.
He won his opener by a split decision over Hector Luis Garcia of the Dominican Republic,
Lally was two wins away from earning a spot in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The difficult part for Lally is trying to accept the verdict after feeling he was going to have his arm raised and get the decision.
“It was a close fight, but I landed the cleaner shots, I dictated where he went.
He head butted me; I have a huge gash on my head right now.
I don’t get it, I really don’t. I’m in shock right now.
I just got kicked out of the tournament.
The thing is, I can accept defeat, when I lose I can accept it. But I didn’t lose that fight,” stated a fiery Lally minutes after the decision was announced.
In his mind, Lally was certain he was the better man, but in the boxing circles, one never knows how the judges view it.
It’s a longshot for Lally to earn a spot at this year’s Olympics, but it’s a chance he must take, although the emotional and financial tolls are a grind.
There are five bantamweight (56 Kilos) Olympic spots still available.
He is one of 64 fighters world wide expected to enter the final qualifier.
Lally has persevered.
He’s an intense warrior, a likeable ultimate competitor who is determined not to take that knockout punch.
His drive and will have been tested but he keeps coming back and that is what one has to admire most.
There is nothing greater for any driven athlete than having one giant heart.
Kenny Lally has that intangible, win or lose.
From the Quote Rack:
The Cubs bristle at Chicago’s smokeless tobacco ban, but I don’t see why—last time the Cubs won a World Series, man had yet to discover smoke.
Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
This year, like every year, with the NCAA tournament many Americans fantasize about a 16 beating a 1. Well, the Lakers DID beat the Warriors.
Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com
Philadelphia Flyers fan Anne Duggan, (80), threw a bra on the ice after Brayden Schenn recorded a hat trick in a recent game. Schenn could have done without her support.
Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post
And in case you missed it:
Maria Sharapova’s failed drug test led to the loss of several sponsors:
3. TAG Heuer called time out;
2. Porsche put on the brakes;
1. Nike chose to just not do it.
Comedy writer RJ Currie www.Sportsdeke.com
Hartley Miller is the sports director and morning news anchor for 94.3 the Goat. He also is the 94.3
radio color commentator for P.G. Cougars home games. His column appears Fridays on
myprincegeorgenow.com. Send along a quote, note, or anecdote to [email protected]
Follow him on twitter: @Hartley_Miller
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