There was a chance to inch closer to that last spot in the 2020 Western Hockey League (WHL) playoffs, but the Cats’ cradle got robbed.
The Prince George Cougars were able to maintain a lead well into the later stages of the third period Wednesday night (Feb. 26) and looked like, for an extended length of time, they were going to split the midweek match-ups with Kelowna.
Rockets’ Matthew Wedman took charge, however, in the last six minutes of regulation by scoring two goals 2:17 apart to give the Cougars a 5-4 loss and only one point from the B.C. Division series.
As Seattle didn’t play yesterday, Prince George is still trail by 11 points in the wild-card race with a record of 17-32-4-4, and with 11 games before the end of the 2019-20 season.
Mathematically, the Cougars still have a chance to sneak into the postseason, hoping to grab onto a winning streak of sorts while praying the Thunderbirds lose all, of the majority of, their final 10 tilts to accomplish the mission.
Goaltender Taylor Gauthier was kept busy at the CN Centre, turning away 34 of 39 pucks from the Rockets compared to 24 of 28 from Cole Schwebius at the other end.
For a second consecutive night, Cole Moberg potted two goals for his eighth multi-point game this year and grabbed five total points from the home doubleheader.
Josh Maser and Connor Bowie also got two points each, including an assist on Vladislav Mikhalchuk’s marker that tied last night’s game at 1-1 early in the first.
Kelowna pulled ahead minutes later and carried the one-goal advantage until 31 seconds left in the opening period, when Bowie sniped a shot into the Rockets’ cage, off an original pass from Maser, to even the board going into the break.
Moberg then took control 11 seconds into a power-play Prince George received early in the second stanza, breaking the deadlock and pull ahead 3-2 for his team’s first lead of the evening.
Ilijah Colina won the draw and Ryan Schoettler passed the puck to Moberg to complete the execution.
The lead stood through the next intermission, but only lasted 72 seconds into the final frame when Kelowna knotted it up at 3-3.
Moberg’s second of the game found the back of the net just before the seven-minute mark, getting help from Jack Sander and firing the puck past Schwebius again to make 4-3 for the home team.
The Cougars held their second single-tally advantage for a 7:40 span before Wedman brought Kelowna back up to speed, scoring the tying and game-winning goals later on for the 5-4 victory.
Prince George ends its busiest month of the season for home games, competing in its third game in four days this Friday (Feb. 28) against Kamloops.
Puck-drop against the Blazers is set for 7 p.m. from the CN Centre.
