It appeared a complete reverse was taken Saturday (Jan. 4) for the Prince George Cougars.
After prevailing 4-3 the night before at the CN Centre, the Everett Silvertips found another gear to break a three-game slump of their own and win by a score of 5-2.
The teams went 1-1 on the weekend and this comes before Prince George embarks on a six-game road trip through the prairies.
Tyler Brennan was called upon for his ninth start as a 16-year-old goaltender and was put to the test early on, ultimately ending in a 30-save loss.
The Silvertips jumped out of the den with speed and skill, scoring two quick goals in a minute for a 2-0 lead early in the contest.
Prince George eventually cut the deficit to 2-1 four minutes into the second period on Nikita Krivokrasov’s sixth of the year, tipping the puck in the net via the crease off a rebound.
Rhett Rhinehart got the first of his two assists on the evening with Ilijah Colina providing the second helper.
The Cougars were able to kill off a couple of penalties in the middle frame, but the visitors would regain their earlier two-goal advantage and grab a 4-1 score after 40 minutes.
Everett then made it 5-1 in the third period, 3:33 into the stanza, but it was Prince George that potted the final tally Saturday.
Jack Sander found an opening past Braeden Holt 56 seconds on a power-play off assists from Rhinehart and Filip Koffer.
Time ran out for the Cats to pull off a comeback, dropping their record to 10-22-2-3.
Prince George hits the road next week for an East Division swing, starting in Regina on Wednesday (Jan. 8) and making stops in Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Brandon and Moose Jaw all before Friday, Jan. 17.
The Cougars return home Jan. 24 and 25 for tilts against the Kamloops Blazers.
