The best-of-seven series, which the Cougars lead 3-1, returns to Prince George for Game 5 on Friday night.
But better a challenge than the alternative: being eliminated and having their season end.The best-of-seven set, which Prince George leads 3-1, returns to the gateway of northern B.C., where the Cougars convincingly won Games 1 and 2 last weekend by scores of 4-0 and 5-0.The Rockets came close to winning Game 3 on Tuesday night, but luck wasn’t on their side in a 4-3 overtime loss despite outshooting the top-ranked team in the nation and hitting two posts in the final minutes of the contest.
Hudson Thornton, who made it 2-1 at 16:37 of the third, replied for Prince George, which suffered its first playoff loss this spring. The Cougars swept Spokane 4-0 in the first round, outscoring the Chiefs 20-9. Jari Kykkanen stopped 26 of 27 shots for the Rockets and was the game’s first star. At the other end, Ty Young stopped 27 of 29 shots.Game 5 will be on Friday night in Prince George. If the Rockets win, Kelowna will host Game 6 on Sunday. Game 7, if needed, would be Tuesday in Prince George.The series winner will likely face Portland in the Western Conference championship, as the Winterhawks are up 3-0 in their series against the Everett Silvertips.
In the Eastern Conference, the Saskatoon Blades swept Red Deer 4-0 while Moose Jaw is up 3-1 against Swift Current. Prince George and Portland were the top two teams in the West while Saskatoon and Moose Jaw were the top teams in the East.Vancouver Canucks to face Nashville Predators in opening round of playoffs
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