3 Stars Were Shining!

[WestLEAFfan]

http://whl.ca/en/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1005098

1st Star - Greg Gardner
2nd Star - Real Cyr
3rd Star - Kalvin Sagert

By the looks of the official scorer's sheet, the boys had another good game. Not to bad of a crowd to send off our three overagers either. We'll miss you fellas! Good luck with future endeavours. applause

[WestLEAFfan]

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=122449&Itemid=564


Home games over for Gardner, Cyr and Sagert

(Sports) Sunday, 09 March 2008, 23:10 PST
JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
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In their last home game of the regular season, the Prince George Cougars were shut out. Captain Greg Gardner wasn’t.

The 20-year-old, who will graduate with the franchise record for games played following a full five years in a Cougars jersey, was feted with a video tribute, given his game-worn jersey in a ‘memory box,’ and gifted a set of custom-made golf clubs.

Golf clubs -- fitting, of course, because this team won’t play beyond Game 72.

On top of it, both before and after Saturday’s 1-0 loss to the Kamloops Blazers, Gardner was showered with applause from fans who showed genuine appreciation for 300-plus nights of sweat and energy.

“That was a tough night -- I never thought it would be this hard to leave the organization, but the things they did for me, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to go out,” said Gardner, whose night was left less than complete thanks to a 35-save effort from rookie Kamloops goaltender James Priestner, who recorded the fourth 1-0 victory in Blazers history while posting his second shutout of the season.

“It means a lot to me.”

Gardner has played 335 games, one shy of the record held by Chris Falloon, who was team captain in Gardner’s rookie season. The Cougars close the season with three road games, stopping in Vancouver on Friday then moving to Kelowna for a Saturday game where Gardner, barring the unforeseen, will break Falloon’s longevity mark. The final outing is on Sunday in Kamloops.

Cougars goaltender Real Cyr, another overager, and defenceman Kalvin Sagert were recognized for their time during a succinct pre-game ceremony. Sagert played most of three seasons as a Cougar after stops in Kamloops and Lethbridge, while Cyr, who has now started 13 games in a row, cracked the Prince George roster as a 17-year-old and spent four years in central B.C.

“The whole day was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, but I just tried to stay focused on the game,” said Cyr, who made 26 saves, allowing just the one goal -- that off the stick of Blazers sniper Juuso Puustinen on a first-period power play.

“When they were announcing the 20-year-old stuff, I saw Gardner’s (video tribute) and I got a bit of a lump in my throat. It was hard to keep my emotions in check. It’s slowly starting to hit me, and (Saturday) was the first I felt of it. In the locker room after the last one, that’s when it will really hit.”

Sagert has played his best hockey, and put forth his best efforts, since finding out he is heading for a pro tryout with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder after the WHL season is over. Sagert was a rock in Friday’s 6-3 win in Kamloops, and is plus-five in his last 11 games to improve to minus-38 on the season -- no longer the worst plus-minus in the league. It’s not the worst on the team even, not since Garrett Thiessen slid to minus-42.

“It’s bitter-sweet -- we’ve had so many fun times over the last couple of years, especially (last year’s playoffs), and this one reminded me of a playoff game,” said Sagert. “I couldn’t have spent (the last few years) with better guys than Gardner and Cyr. Things kinda hit me (Saturday) that I wouldn’t see these fans again. I can only imagine how much harder it is for a guy like Gardner who has been here for five years.”

The parents and billets of players were on the red carpet before the game, and many made the trip to Kamloops on Friday for the start of the home-and-home series.

On Saturday, they saw the Cougars, with the youngest roster in the WHL, close the home portion of the season with the team’s 22nd loss on CN Centre ice. The win total of 10 matches the franchise low from the 1994-95 campaign -- the first winter in Prince George and the only season of WHL hockey in the Coliseum.

The Blazers, a disorganized and directionless bunch, finally put a halt to a 10-game losing streak. Prior to Saturday, the last Kamloops win was Feb. 8.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t find a goal, but we deserved a better fate,” said Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck, his team at 19-46-1-3, including the third-highest loss total since the franchise moved here in 1994. “That’s hockey, that’s the way the breaks go.

“Records one way or another don’t matter, we just wanted to make sure our game was going in a certain direction. We’ve shown we can compete for 60 minutes and we’ve been in a lot of hockey games. We’ve been beaten by a lot of good hockey teams, there’s no question, but I’ve seen a lot of progression with our guys both individually and as a team.”

The Cougars handed out season awards with pre-game announcements. Gardner was the correct choice as MVP with career bests of 22 goals, 29 assists and 51 points while showing the kind of leadership other veterans shunned in earlier stages of the season.

“There were a couple guys I thought could have won it -- Cyr finished the year strong, and Dana (Tyrell) played well all year long,” said Gardner, who declined an opportunity to move to a contender at the trade deadline.

“I’m honoured to take it.”

Tyrell was given the most-dedicated player award, and rookie defenceman Art Bidlevskii was recognized as the scholastic player of the year. Parker Stanfield, tied for fourth in team scoring with 20 points, was named top rookie.

KITTY LITTER: D Bruin McDonald and F Nick Buonassisi of the Vancouver Northeast Chiefs, eliminated by the Cariboo Cougars on the weekend, will join the WHL Cougars this weekend for all three games... The Cougars topped 150 man-games lost to injury or suspension with G Ian Curtis (rotator cuff), D Trevor Bauer (wrist), C Jan Kupec (shoulder) and LW Brad Riege (concussion) not in the lineup. Curiously, the Blazers sat D Nick Ross, a first-round NHL draft pick who has been less than impressive since arriving from Regina at the trade deadline... It was the fifth time the Cougars have been shut out this season.... Shots finished 35-27 in favour of the Cats... The Cougars were 0-6 on power plays, and held the Blazers to a 1-5 night despite Kamloops having almost two minutes of two-man advantage time in the third period... Announced attendance was 3,371, edging the final total over the 100,000 mark (102,376) and the average for 36 games at 2,844 -- below last year’s previous-low average of 2,968... Former Blazers coach and GM Dean Clark, fired by the new ownership group on Nov. 7, has moved to Edmonton to work for the Mike Priestner Automotive Group. Mike Priestner, the father of the Kamloops netminder, made an unsuccessful bid to buy the Blazers last summer.

Farewell men. You've left a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in PG. There will be some big skates to fill next year. Your leadership and character will be hard to replace. applause

[the flying moose]

Farewell men. You've left a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in PG. There will be some big skates to fill next year. Your leadership and character will be hard to replace. applause

The pre-game presentation was really difficult to watch. I had a lump in my throat watching it and I don't know how those three kept it together. I really wish that had a chance to win for their final game but they played a full 60 minutes and didn't give up at all. They must have hit the post about 8 times that game.

[Coyote14]

Here's to a great career by Kalvin Sagert. I've watched him play since he started in Kamloops and enjoyed every minute of it, my favourite moment being game 5 in Everett last year when I stuck on his jersey for the 3rd period hoping for some superstitious luck and they rattled off 4 straight and won the game. Good luck in Stockton and thanks for bringing me to WHL hockey before the Bruins came around.