The Prince George Cougars concluded their regular season with an impressive eight-game winning streak, culminating in a 2-1 victory against the Victoria Royals on Saturday. This win not only secured the Cougars” strong finish but also dashed the Royals” hopes of making the WHL playoffs.
In the final game, defenceman Tyrone Sobry scored his first goal as a Cougar, having been acquired in a trade from Saskatoon on January 8. Winger Koy Funk, who also joined the team on the same day from Calgary, contributed with the decisive goal. The Cougars took the lead in the second period when Max Silver scored just 2:53 in, but Sobry quickly equalized 6:44 into the period with a shot from the right circle. Funk netted the game-winner at 4:26 into the third period, firing a shot over the glove of Royals goalie Ethan Eskit.
Despite outshooting the Cougars 33-28, the Royals could not capitalize on their opportunities. Alexander Levshyn, the Cougars” goalie, was particularly effective in the third period, facing 13 shots while allowing only one goal. His record improved to 11-9-2-0 with this performance. Earlier in the weekend, the Cougars also defeated the Royals in a thrilling 4-3 shootout.
With a final record of 44 wins, 22 losses, and 2 overtime losses, the Cougars secured third place in the Western Conference, trailing only the Everett Silvertips and Penticton Vees. They will face either the Spokane Chiefs or the Kamloops Blazers in the opening round of the playoffs, which begins next Friday at CN Centre.
Currently, Spokane holds the sixth position in the Western Conference with 36 wins, while Kamloops is just one point ahead. Spokane”s playoff hopes hinge on their final game against the Seattle Thunderbirds on Sunday, where they could potentially overtake Kamloops. If the Cougars meet Spokane in the playoffs, the first two games will be hosted in Prince George, followed by up to three games in Spokane. Should they face Kamloops, the series will adopt a 2-2-1-1 format starting with two games at home.
