The fans wanted free pizza and Koehn Ziemmer delivered.
Thirty-one seconds into overtime, WHL player of the week Ziemmer picked the corner high on Vancouver Giants goalie Burke Hood for the gamewinner Sunday afternoon in front of crowd of 9,979 at CN Centre to cinch a two-game weekend sweep of the Giants.
Due to a promotion from Domino’s that guarantees a free pizza if the Cougars score five goals or more in a home game, that goal was a belly-warmer for Prince George. That goal, the seventh in three games for Ziemmer, made the final score 5-4.
The Los Angeles Kings draft pick finished the week with seven goals and an assist to become the first Cougar this season to win the Tempo WHL player-of-the-week award.
Ziemmer, who turns 20 on Dec. 8, has been the hottest scorer in the league for more than just a week. He’s scored 11 goals in his last five games. The Cougars won four of those five games and gained points in all five – an overtime loss to Saskatoon last Tuesday was their only blemish.
The Cats (11-4-3-2) are riding high in the standings, holding down first place in the BC Division just four points behind league-leading Everett in the overall standings.
Cooper Michaluk made 24 saves Sunday to pick up his first WHL win since joining the Cougars in a Sept. 26 trade from Spokane for a fifth-round draft pick in 2017.
Rookie Lee Shurgot, with his second WHL goal in as many games, Hunter Laing and Jett Lajoie were the other Cougar goalscorers. Riley Heidt picked up three assists and now has 29 points this season, tied for seventh in the WHL.
Prince George native Cameron Schmidt scored two goals for the Giants Sunday, including the tying goal with 1:38 left in regulation and goalie Burke Hood on the bench with the Vancouver net empty. Schmidt, an 18-year-old eligible for the 2025 NHL draft, is setting the pace in the WHL with a league-leading 20 goals in 17 games.
Ty Halaburda and Tyus Sparks were the other goalscorers Sunday for the Giants.
Vancouver (9-5-3-0) dipped to seventh in the Western Conference. The Giants are six points behind Prince George but have played three fewer games than the Cougars.
The Cougars won’t play again until Friday, when the Kelowna Rockets pay their first visit this season to Prince George for a weekend doubleheader at CN Centre. The Rockets (6-7-1-1, ninth in West) host Seattle on Wednesday.
