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They have just finished a brutal 11 straight road games.

They are having major trouble finding the back of the net, however, the Prince George Cougars are still in the race with 29 games left.

The Cougars offensive woes were highlighted during that 3-8 trip that wrapped up with Wednesday’s 4-2 loss in Spokane.

Prince George has scored just 11 times in its last eight games.

In 14 of their last 16 games, the Cougars have scored two or fewer goals.

Over that 16-game stretch, they have a paltry 27 goals.

In the 2018-19 season, Prince George has a league-low 84 goals for an average of just 2.15 a game.

The good news for the Cougars is 17 of their remaining 29 games are at the CN Centre.

In addition, they have half-a-dozen head-to-head games left with Kamloops.

The Blazers hold down the last wild-card playoff spot but they are only two points ahead of PG (and three in front of Seattle).

Kamloops has the edge in the standings because they are 3-0 against Prince George this season.

Cougars General Manager Mark Lamb has shown plenty of patience in his first year on the job, which he says is all part of the plan to build long-term (mainly through the WHL Bantam Draft) and resist any short-term fix.

He hasn’t hit the panic button with Head Coach Richard Matvichuk (in the last year of his three-year deal) and hasn’t tinkered much with the roster.

Unlike a year ago, the Cougars made no moves as the WHL trade deadline passed on Thursday.

Besides the six against the Blazers, the other 23 games left are against Kelowna (3), including two this weekend, Vancouver (4), Victoria (4), Everett (3), Portland (2), Spokane (2), PA (1), Moose Jaw (1), Calgary (1), Red Deer (1), and Edmonton (1).

Of the 30 games remaining for Kamloops, 19 are on home ice.

The Blazers have played the fewest home games in the league (15).

Seattle has 16 out its final 30 games in front of its own fans.

Without any naturally gifted offensive weapons, the Cougars knew they wouldn’t score much but believed they would make the playoffs.

That hope remains alive especially if ace goalie Taylor Gauthier can keep up his hot streak.

The 17-year-old Gauthier has allowed just seven goals in his last five games and nine in the past six.

Now, if he could just find a way to score, then perhaps the team’s main problem would be solved.

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This is Week 15 of ‘Hartley’s Cat Scan.’

The podcast, introduced in September, predominately features the Prince George Cougars.

My guest this week is Cougars GM Mark Lamb.

This week, Lamb discusses why the Cougars were quiet on the trade front, his outlook on the last part of the WHL season and his perspective on Head Coach Richard Matvichuk.

You can also find this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, and TuneIn.

 

FROM THE QUOTE RACK:

The PGA, it appears, has no problem with betting on its sport. Just what degenerate gamblers need — another way to get in the hole.

*Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times http://www.seattletimes.com/author/dwight-perry/

 

Carl Grove, 90, was stripped of his gold medal in cycling he won at Masters Track National Championships after testing positive for a PED. He blamed the result on “bad meat.” Really, wouldn’t it have been more believable to claim a tainted supplement? Like Ensure?

*Comedy writer Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com

 

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, located in Cleveland, has a take on the Browns, a team with high aspirations in 2019, and their new Head Coach, Freddie Kitchens. They are calling them ‘Freddie and the Dreamers.’

*Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

 

The Raiders new GM Mike Mayock says coach Jon Gruden will have the final say on all personnel. Bringing up the question then why do the Raiders even need a GM?

*Comedy writer Jim Barach http://jokesbyjim.blogspot.ca/

 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

World Chess champion Magnus Carlsenis reportedly a major celebrity at home in Norway. And good news ladies, he isn’t married — although he has been mated.

*Canadian comedy writer RJ Currie www.Sportsdeke.com

 

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Hartley Miller is the sports director and morning news anchor for 94.3 the GOAT.
He also is the 94.3 radio colour commentator for P.G. Cougars home games.
His column appears Fridays on myprincegeorgenow.com.
Send along a quote, note, or anecdote to hmiller@thegoatrocks.ca.
Follow him on Twitter: @Hartley_Miller
Listen to him on his weekly podcast: Hartley’s Cat Scan.