Sput
01-06-2007, 10:53 AM
courtesy of: www.princegeorgecitizen.com
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Rare Gardner goal a winner
by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
Moose Jaw Warriors backup goaltender Kurt Jory is good. At least the Prince George Cougars made him appear that way.
Jory, who came into Friday’s game at CN Centre with a puffy 4.17 goals-against average, looked like Roberto Luongo in stopping 39 shots. But he wasn’t able to stop three of the last eight he faced, and the Prince George Cougars gutted out a 3-2 overtime victory.
“It’s tough when you look up at the scoreclock and you’re outshooting them 15-4 and you’re down 1-0,” said Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck.
“Then it was 28-6 and we were down 2-0. But this was a good thing for us to fight through, and in games past we might have been discouraged by that a bit and we might have gone the other way. We stuck with it, and this is the kind of game that could be a turning point. We played the gameplan for 60 minutes and got the win.”
If Jory was the surprise first star, then Cougars centre Greg Gardner was the surprise provider of the game-winning goal. The 19-year-old, whose business card reads ‘defensive specialist,’ now has three goals on the season. One of those was into an empty net.
“I’ve been frustrated with my scoring all season, so to get an opportunity like that in overtime feels good,” said Gardner.
“With Devin Setoguchi not in the lineup, guys like me are going to get more chances and we have to come through. It felt good.”
Gardner’s goal looked like the drills the team has been doing in practice recently, where players have to keep banging away until they put the puck in the net. Gardner chopped home a loose puck from the top of the crease, ending a mad scramble.
“It’s great to see a guy like Gardner, who works his tail off, get a goal like that,” said Schoneck. “You feel like he earned that reward, because he’s had so many chances.”
But the story was Jory. When a WHL team is fourth-worst in goals scored, as the Cougars sat entering Friday’s action, it sees a steady diet of backup netminders. What’s hard to swallow is when those backups keep winning – which Jory nearly did.
“That was Kurt’s first start on this (B.C.) road trip, and he was ready,” said Moose Jaw coach Steve Young.
“He made some big saves and gave us an opportunity to win. When you’re playing an ugly or sloppy game, you know there would be a point where Prince George would capitalize on some things. That’s what they did.”
The result breaks the Cougars’ three-game losing streak, and gives Prince George a bit of breathing room in the standings. The Cats (15-19-2-3) are six points ahead of fourth-place Kelowna, and seven up on last-place Chilliwack. It helped that both teams lost Friday.
The night didn’t start well for Cougars netminder Real Cyr, making his first start since before Christmas because of a bad knee that’s still bothering him. Less than two minutes in, Matt Isbister beat Cyr over his glove shoulder, and then Riley Holzapfel gave the visitors an unlikely 2-0 lead in the second with a power play goal.
Prince George showed signs of breaking through. Nick Drazenovic, who ended up with two points, hit a post in the second period, and Jory had to be sharp on at least another dozen chances.
The Cougars did reel the game in, the first dent coming in the third period. Ty Wishart, with a harmless-looking shot from the point, finally got the Cougars on the board – his team’s 34th shot. The wrist shot sailed through traffic, and Jory didn’t see it until the crowd of 2,845 told him it was behind him.
On a four-on-four situation later that period, Drazenovic deked Jory out of his shorts to tie it 2-2. Patience had paid off – for the player, and his team.
KITTY LITTER: The Cats are now 1-13-0-1 in games they trail after 40 minutes… D Jesse Dudas, who hasn’t played since before Christmas, is expected to be on the team’s four-game road trip next week.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Rare Gardner goal a winner
by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
Moose Jaw Warriors backup goaltender Kurt Jory is good. At least the Prince George Cougars made him appear that way.
Jory, who came into Friday’s game at CN Centre with a puffy 4.17 goals-against average, looked like Roberto Luongo in stopping 39 shots. But he wasn’t able to stop three of the last eight he faced, and the Prince George Cougars gutted out a 3-2 overtime victory.
“It’s tough when you look up at the scoreclock and you’re outshooting them 15-4 and you’re down 1-0,” said Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck.
“Then it was 28-6 and we were down 2-0. But this was a good thing for us to fight through, and in games past we might have been discouraged by that a bit and we might have gone the other way. We stuck with it, and this is the kind of game that could be a turning point. We played the gameplan for 60 minutes and got the win.”
If Jory was the surprise first star, then Cougars centre Greg Gardner was the surprise provider of the game-winning goal. The 19-year-old, whose business card reads ‘defensive specialist,’ now has three goals on the season. One of those was into an empty net.
“I’ve been frustrated with my scoring all season, so to get an opportunity like that in overtime feels good,” said Gardner.
“With Devin Setoguchi not in the lineup, guys like me are going to get more chances and we have to come through. It felt good.”
Gardner’s goal looked like the drills the team has been doing in practice recently, where players have to keep banging away until they put the puck in the net. Gardner chopped home a loose puck from the top of the crease, ending a mad scramble.
“It’s great to see a guy like Gardner, who works his tail off, get a goal like that,” said Schoneck. “You feel like he earned that reward, because he’s had so many chances.”
But the story was Jory. When a WHL team is fourth-worst in goals scored, as the Cougars sat entering Friday’s action, it sees a steady diet of backup netminders. What’s hard to swallow is when those backups keep winning – which Jory nearly did.
“That was Kurt’s first start on this (B.C.) road trip, and he was ready,” said Moose Jaw coach Steve Young.
“He made some big saves and gave us an opportunity to win. When you’re playing an ugly or sloppy game, you know there would be a point where Prince George would capitalize on some things. That’s what they did.”
The result breaks the Cougars’ three-game losing streak, and gives Prince George a bit of breathing room in the standings. The Cats (15-19-2-3) are six points ahead of fourth-place Kelowna, and seven up on last-place Chilliwack. It helped that both teams lost Friday.
The night didn’t start well for Cougars netminder Real Cyr, making his first start since before Christmas because of a bad knee that’s still bothering him. Less than two minutes in, Matt Isbister beat Cyr over his glove shoulder, and then Riley Holzapfel gave the visitors an unlikely 2-0 lead in the second with a power play goal.
Prince George showed signs of breaking through. Nick Drazenovic, who ended up with two points, hit a post in the second period, and Jory had to be sharp on at least another dozen chances.
The Cougars did reel the game in, the first dent coming in the third period. Ty Wishart, with a harmless-looking shot from the point, finally got the Cougars on the board – his team’s 34th shot. The wrist shot sailed through traffic, and Jory didn’t see it until the crowd of 2,845 told him it was behind him.
On a four-on-four situation later that period, Drazenovic deked Jory out of his shorts to tie it 2-2. Patience had paid off – for the player, and his team.
KITTY LITTER: The Cats are now 1-13-0-1 in games they trail after 40 minutes… D Jesse Dudas, who hasn’t played since before Christmas, is expected to be on the team’s four-game road trip next week.