CN Centre the place to be for WHL playoff action starting on Friday
Fresh from clinching the WHL Western Conference season title, the Prince George Cougars begin the quest for their first-ever league championship on Friday when they host the Spokane Chiefs in Game 1 of their best-off-seven opening-round series.
“We’re super excited, we’ve worked hard all year for something like this and it’s our favourite time of year,” said the 19-year-old Calgary native. “Everything ramps up in the playoffs, the pace, the physicality, guys get hurt. It’s so hard to explain but it’s so much more than what regular season is and everyone’s bringing their best every night. Everyone wants to win so bad and you can’t afford to take nights off, especially in the playoffs.
This year, to edge Portland as conference champions, it took a 17-0-1-1 run for first place. If the Cougars keep winning, they will start each series at home for at least the first three rounds. “I think has shown through the regular season. Everyone knows the playoffs are a different beast and these guys have lots of playoff series under their belts, so hopefully we can take that a roll with it in the playoffs. It comes down to the little details like getting the puck out and getting the puck in and it can end your season if you’re not on top of those things.”
The Cougars split their games in Spokane, winning 6-3 on Dec. 2 and losing 4-3 Jan. 26. Both games at CN Centre ended in 5-4 overtime scores with the Chiefs winning the first game March 1 followed the next night by a Cougar win. Like their hosts, the Chiefs pack a high-octane offence that produced 268 goals . Led by First-Team All-Star Berky Catton, who had 54 goals and finished fourth in the scoring race with 116 points Second Team member Conner Roulette , the Chiefs averaged 3.94 goals per game.
Both teams have been stopping the puck well. Cowan, 17, was ranked fifth among draft-eligible North American goalies by NHL Central Scouting in the mid-term report. Cowan played in 43 of the 68 Chiefs games.
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