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CdnSailor
09-30-2011, 03:11 PM
They’re welcoming a familiar franchise with a new look.

No longer the Chilliwack Bruins , coming off offseason relocation after new owners took over, the Victoria Royals provide the opposition for the Prince George Cougars ’ home opener.

This evening and Saturday (7 p.m. at CN Centre), the Cougars and Royals meet in a doubleheader, something that won’t be unfamiliar to either team this season. To reduce the amount of ferry trips, the Royals have taken on a home schedule that is composed primarily of two-game sets.

For the Cougars, doubleheaders come with their geography as the league’s most isolated franchise. Thirty-two of their 36 home games are part of two-game sets.

But they don’t plan to look past this weekend. And if the Cougars do, they’ll be thinking more about the road than home. After Saturday night’s contest, the Cougars start their longest trip, a seven games in 12 days stretch. They head east on Sunday night, bound for Saskatchewan where they’ll open the set on Wednesday against the Prince Albert Raiders . After seeing each of the East Division’s six teams, they’ll cross the Rockies for the final game of the swing, against the Kamloops Blazers on Oct. 15 at Interior Savings Centre.

It’s a lengthy trip, but first, the Cougars have work to do in their barn.

“They’re important games and I think last year we played Vancouver early and we didn’t fare so well, so these are points at the start of the year we need to get,” Cougars head coach Dean Clark said. “That’s why that road win in Kamloops (1-0 in the regular-season opener on Saturday) is so important. We don’t have all of our players back yet. To get the performance from Drew (Owsley, goalie) that we got was awesome, and we found a way to win a road game early where we’re not seasoned yet.”

Forward Charles Inglis scored the lone goal on Saturday night, a buzzer beater with less than a second left in the middle frame, and will look to build off his offence this weekend. He knows they can create more offensive opportunities.

“It was kind of a scrambly game in the second period. It was just turnover for turnover,” he said. “That’s kind of first game of the season hockey. I think that we kind of got our legs underneath us now, we know what to expect and we’re ready to go.”

Notes:
Marincin back – Slovak import defenceman Martin Marincin is back with the Cougars this season. He was attending training camp for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers but got sent back to junior from the pro team on Monday.

More cuts – A trio of roster moves reduced the Cougars’ roster size from 28 to 25 players. Forwards Taylor Makin (Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Brooks Bandits) and John Odgers (Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Yorkton Terriors), and defenceman Dane Phaneuf (released outright) got cut.

NHL – With the Marincin move, forward Brett Connolly (Tampa Bay Lightning ) remains the only Cougar still with an NHL team.

Champions Weekend – The Cougars are once against partnering with the Prince George YMCA for the Y Champions Hockey Weekend. Two accomplished hockey players, Olympian Jennifer Botterill and former NHL player Ryan Walter, will be in the city for speeches and to act as guest coaches for a six-team hockey tournament on Saturday. During the first intermission on Friday evening, Walter will sign autographs in the CN Centre concourse.

Partners – Once again, the Cougars are working with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and Scotiabank. While Friday is the Pink Power Play Game, Scotiabank Saturdays are back for the second year.