The Prince George Cougars are back in the win column, ending a three-game losing streak against the Rebels Saturday night.
Goaltender Tavin Grant made several key saves, combining for a total of 34 stops, while forward Aaron Boyd recorded two points (1G, 1A) to lift the Cats to a 4-1 win over Red Deer.
Prince George Head Coach Richard Matvichuk, in an interview on 94.3 the GOAT’s post-game show, says it was important to get the win considering Friday night’s shootout loss in Edmonton.
“Everybody did the right things tonight; everything about tonight was really good!”
The Rebels got the first goal of the contest three minutes into the opening frame, to which Cougars rookie Josh Maser followed up with his fourth of the season 10 minutes later to even the game at 1-1.
Matvichuk credits his young players for stepping up in the high-pressure situations.
“They’re starting to come within, especially on the defence. The loss of Josh Anderson has really inspired them to step up in this time and play the minutes that we’ve needed them to. We just have to keep it simple, you join the rush from there, and pinch the puck in at the right times.”
Jackson Leppard potted the eventual game-winning goal mid-way through the second; Boyd added the insurance goal two minutes shy of the 40-minute mark.
The nail in the coffin came from Brogan O’Brien to make it a 4-1 score just 40 seconds into the final period of play and the team would hang on for their fourth victory of 2017-18.
Matvichuk believes a road win can be a teaching tool for players of all ages.
“We just did all the right things; our leaders took over and the chances were passed down to the young kids. All of the guys’ hard work paid off tonight for sure.”
Prince George (4-5-2-1) completes the Alberta trek of a five-game road trip today, 3PM Pacific in Calgary (3-7-1-0).
It’ll be the second and final meeting of the year against the Hitmen; the Cats beat them earlier this month 7-1 at the CN Centre.
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HIGHLIGHTS ?: @PGCougars win 4-1 over @Rebelshockey Saturday night! Check out the game's best moments here ➡️ https://t.co/57u0JMOa1L #WHL
— World Class Rock (@943theGOAT) October 22, 2017
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