In a comeback for the ages, a sudden-death goal led to a delayed reaction.
But there was no denying the Prince George Cougars, 7-6 overtime winners over the Portland Winterhawks Friday in a wild affair at CN Centre to open the WHL playoffs.
The Cougars scored four goals in the third period to erase a three-goal deficit, and Terik Parascak ended it 6:40 into overtime when he put the puck through the legs of Ondrej Stebetak just after the Portland goalie leaned into the post to knock the net off its moorings.
The goal was originally waived by the officials. Nobody in the building was certain it was a goal until the referee, after a brief discussion with the other officials, pointed to centre ice to signal it was indeed a count. The video replay put all doubts to rest that it was Stebetak who dislodged the net and the Cougars celebrated their improbable victory in Game 1 of the WHL Western Conference quarterfinal series.
“We obviously didn’t have two good periods there, and we knew something needed to change to set the tone for the series,” said Parascak, who scored twice and also added an assist in his first game back from a concussion. “We got a couple quick ones, which gave us momentum, and we just followed through. There was no quit in that group.”
On the winning goal: “It was a good play off the rush. (Ben) Riche gave me a nice pass, a good little give-and-go, and I took it to the net, made a little skill play in front, and found a bounce.”
There’s a reason the Cougars lost just five home games in regulation this season, and the Cougar fans in the crowd of 5,610, who went ballistic witnessing one of the greatest playoff comebacks in the team’s 31-year history, reminded the players they’ve got their backs all the way.
“No words can describe that feeling. The fans came out tonight, and it was such a special night for us,” said Parascak. “That has to be the loudest crowd. Nothing comes close. You get goosebumps, everything. I can’t imagine how an opposing team would feel in that atmosphere.”
The Cougars needed something to make the climb back from a three-goal deficit seem less insurmountable, and Riley Heidt provided that spark. He led the rush into the Portland zone and fired a shot from the slot that sailed into the net 63 seconds into the third period.
“That’s what you expect out of your captain. He’s our leader for a reason, and he stepped up big-time in a big moment,” said Parascak.
The Cougars tied it up with goals 31 seconds apart. After Viliam Kmec was stuffed on a wraparound try, Borya Valis took the puck behind the Portland net and fed a waiting Parascak for a tap-in from just outside the crease.
The tying goal came at 7:51. Aiden Foster forced a turnover in the Portland end and sent the puck over to Jett Lajoie, who set up Matteo Danis in the slot for his second goal of the game. The towel-waving Cougar crowd erupted with a racket that reverberated off the rafters, and just when it seemed like it couldn’t get much noisier, the Cougars found a way to raise the decibel level with their go-ahead goal.
Parascak eluded his check and came off the side boards with a dangerous drive to the net. He maintained puck control as he went into the corner, and his centring pass hit a Portland defender before skipping out to defenceman Bauer Dumanski, who ripped a low shot in to give the Cougars their first lead of the night at 12:28 of the third period.
The Winterhawks forced overtime when Joel Plante let go of a shot from the crowd in front of Cooper Michaluk. It appeared the Cougar goalie made the save, but the puck bounced off his chest and dropped into the net to tie the game 6-6 with 3:08 left.
But the Cougars didn’t let that get to them. Michaluk, who came on in relief of starting netminder Josh Ravensbergen early in the second period, made a couple of game-saving saves in the late stages to get them to overtime.
The Cougars knew they had momentum on their side, and it started late in the second period when they got into penalty trouble and killed off a two-man disadvantage that lasted nearly a minute.
“It was so surreal. Not the start we wanted, but we came in for the second intermission and just kind of regrouped,” said Foster. “That’s the grit we have on our team. We believe in each other, and the adversity we overcame, everything came together, and it was an awesome win.”
Foster collected three assists and finished with a plus-4 rating as a physical force playing on a line with Lajoie and Danis, who scored twice. Foster and Koehn Ziemmer both delivered clean body checks after Dumanski’s goal, drawing thunderous applause.
“Our line played unreal. We just did the right things, and this is one of my favourite games,” said Foster. “(The fans) were a huge part of our win. They stayed and supported us, and that was the loudest crowd ever. It was hard for the opposing team to stick with it when they were that loud, and that just motivated us more and gave us the legs to energize our team.”
Cougars head coach and general manager Mark Lamb saw some wild swings in games against Portland this season, including one in October when the Cougars gave up a four-goal lead and lost in overtime. But nothing compares to Friday’s abrupt turnaround.
“They’re crazy games,” said Lamb. “We didn’t like our start at all. We were deer in the headlights at the start. We were nervous, we were tight, right through the whole group from our goalie on, and then we got playing in the third and ended up winning the game.
“We switched around some lines and found something that clicked. (Foster) is built for playoffs, isn’t he? He’s got that grit, and he’s not afraid to get in there and hit. That’s what playoff hockey is. I thought we got physical in the third, and we took over in overtime.”
The Winterhawks couldn’t have asked for a better start to the playoffs. They scored early and late to take a 3-1 lead after one period, with Josh Zakreski, a Cougar-killer this season, scoring twice.
The 19-year-old winger from Saskatoon stole the puck in the Cougars’ zone and spun a low shot in for the first of the night at 1:21. The Winterhawks besieged their opponents and held them without a shot for the first nine minutes. The Cougars finally got some rubber on goalie Stebetak and came close to tying it when Ziemmer nailed the post.
The teams were playing 4-on-4 when Carter Sotheran made it a 2-0 game. Diego Buttazzoni went behind the Cougar net, tried a wraparound, and the puck was chipped back to Sotheran, who buried it behind Ravensbergen.
Two minutes later, Valis got the puck on the goal line and deked Sotheran with an inside-out forehand-backhand move across the goalmouth to get the Cats on the scoreboard.
Just when it looked like they might get out of the period down by only a goal, Zakreski did the deed again, scoring his second of the night and seventh against Prince George this season. He outraced the Prince George defence to get to a pass off the boards sent deep into Cougar territory by Max Psenicka and lifted a shot over Ravensbergen’s shoulder.
The Cougars looked tentative again to start the second period against a determined forecheck that forced them to fumble the puck and rush their passes. The Winterhawks soon took advantage. Kmec tried to feed the puck ahead to a teammate but fanned on the pass just outside the Cougars’ blue line. Kyle Chyzowski was all over the puck and got it to Alex Weiermair, who whipped it in for a 4-1 lead.
That was it for Ravensbergen, replaced in the Cougar crease by Michaluk after allowing four goals on 19 shots.
The Cougars got one back when Danis caught goalie Stebetak not hugging the post and, from a sharp angle, banked one off the goalie’s shoulder. But the Winterhawks’ power play answered right away. Tyson Jugnauth fed Buttazzoni for a one-timer that got through the legs of Michaluk.
“It was definitely a wild game. There was a lot in our group that I liked, obviously the start that we had,” said Winterhawks head coach Kyle Gustafson. “I felt that our urgency came right from the gate. In a playoff series, when you’ve got some young players, that’s what you want, and we got a few bounces early.
“To PG’s credit, they came out in the third period and put us on our heels. There were a few momentum swings, and our team has shown resilience all year. To get that one late in the third to get it to overtime was a gutsy goal. In overtime, there were a couple of bounces, and we’re on the short end of it. All in all, it was an entertaining game, I’m sure, for the crowd, and we’ll get back at it tomorrow.”
Game 2 is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. at CN Centre. Parascak says his team learned its lesson and will come out better for it and ready to go to work.
“It’s belief in our group. We know we can win games now in the playoffs, and we just have to keep driving and have no quit,” said Parascak. “They’re a good team over there, so we’ve got to be on our game 24/7.”
LOOSE PUCKS: Parascak returned to action after missing five games with a concussion. Parascak, the 17th overall pick of the Washington Capitals in 2024, finished the season with 28 goals and 82 points, second in Cougar scoring… The ‘Hawks will host Games 3 and 4 Tuesday and Wednesday and, if needed, Game 5 on Friday. If the series goes longer, Games 6 and 7 would be played at CN Centre Sunday and Monday, April 6-7.
