For the third time in team history, the Prince George Cougars record their 43rd victory in a season, winning by a remarkable 6-1 score over Tri-City.
Goaltender Ty Edmonds made 29 saves in the Cougars’ fourth meeting with the Americans Friday night, as both teams went back and forth all game long.
43 WINS!!!!!@JesseGabrielle had two goals, and @tyedmonds_35 made 29 saves in a 6-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans! Next up: Spokane.
— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) March 11, 2017
In an interview on 94.3 the GOAT’s post-game show, Prince George Head Coach Richard Matvichuk said Edmonds’ performance is an example of his veteran leadership.
“He honestly competes like there’s no tomorrow! He came out tonight, was arguably our hardest worker on the ice, and the score shows that.”
The Cats went 3-for-3 on the man-advantage, with forward Jesse Gabrielle netting two of them; the 19-year-old came short of the hat-trick on the third power-play.
That goal, scored by Jansen Harkins, left a good impression on Coach Matvichuk.
“Our special teams stepped up tonight. We always got to get the puck into the right areas and move the opposite goalie when we get the chance; we were able to do that.”
Jared Bethune scored the game-winning goal 11 seconds after Tri-City’s Kyle Olson tied the game 6:28 into the opening frame.
Prince George Captain Sam Ruopp would net would first goal since January 11th for this fourth of the year, while Slovakian forward Radovan Bondra would tally both a goal and a helper, moving his point-streak to 13 in his last six games.
“We don’t look at the score,” said Coach Matvichuk on his team’s scoring clinic against the Americans.
“Right now, it’s about getting into playoff-mode and getting the wins we need. It’s nice to see though that when we shoot the puck, it’s been going in.”
AMERICAN 'HUSTLE'@JesseGabrielle had two goals as the Cats downed the Americans 6-1 on Friday in Kennewick.
MORE: https://t.co/Wf1LQUZQiQ pic.twitter.com/vfs9kEOFAR
— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) March 11, 2017
With the win, Prince George also records their 21st road win of 2016-17 and improving their overall record to 43-21-3-2; the Tri-City Americans remain ahead of the Portland Winterhawks for third place in the US Division, but their season record falls to 38-26-3-0.
The Cougars will meet another Washington State team for a second consecutive night, taking on the Chiefs in Spokane; puck-drop goes for 7:05PM.
Should the Cats beat the Chiefs, mathematically speaking, Prince George would finish no worse than second place in the BC Division, securing home-ice advantage in the first round of the WHL playoffs.
You can tune into the Pre-Game Show tonight, 6:45PM on 94.3 the GOAT!
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