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Sput
10-19-2006, 09:33 AM
From: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/


Thursday, October 19, 2006
Cats get a point, coach makes his point
by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor

The Prince George Cougars may have missed an opportunity for two points, but the head coach didn’t whiff on a chance to give his captain a figurative slap upside the helmet.

Mike Vandekamp glued Eric Hunter to the bench at Prospera Place for portions of Wednesday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the rebuilding Kelowna Rockets. That was Vandekamp’s way to send his team, and his struggling captain, a message about the need to be ready to play. The Cats fell behind 3-1 before clawing back and forcing overtime on third-period goals by Hunter and fellow overager Jared Walker.

“We had a sluggish start, and we found out that if you only play 30 minutes and not 60 then you won’t get two points — you might get one,” said Vandekamp, who takes his team to Kennewick, Wash., for Friday and Saturday games against the Tri-City Americans, the final chapters of this six-game road trip.

“Absolutely we need our leaders to step up and be leaders. We had that time tonight where a guy ended up benched for awhile.”

Hunter took the game’s first penalty, an unsportsmanlike conduct banishment doled out by referee Pat Smith. Kelowna had a 1-0 lead at the time on a goal by Brett Breitkreuz.

“(Hunter) doesn’t help us if I have to be sending those messages to him,” said Vandekamp. “We need him on the ice.”

Kirt Hill made it 2-0 later in the first, but Jordie Deagle scored his first as a Cougar to trim the lead before the intermission.

“We had to come out early and dictate the game a little more,” said Vandekamp. “It started out as kind of a boring, lack-of-intensity type of game. We have to have more energy early and take it to teams, rather than dropping down to their level. That’s what happened, to a degree, and then they got the bounce to take the lead and it woke us up. We played much better in the second period.”

Kaspars Saulietis put the Rockets up 3-1 in the second and the Cougars could not find the net behind Kris Westblom despite outshooting Kelowna 11-4 in that frame.

Hunter, released from his prison, tallied on a power play near the midway point of the third, and Walker scored with 2:54 to play to make overtime necessary.

In the shootout, Nick Drazenovic and Devin Setoguchi, who had two assists, were both thwarted by Westblom. At the other end, Cody Almond and Saulietis beat Cougars netminder Real Cyr, whose play Wednesday was less than satisfactory in they eyes of Vandekamp.

The coach will spend today contemplating whether to keep riding Cyr, who has started four games in a row, or find a time to give backup Jordan White his second WHL call. Cyr faced 17 shots, while Westblom was tested 32 times.

“Real wasn’t particularly sharp, no, and he wasn’t as good as he has been,” said Vandekamp. “We really believe Jordan will be a very good goaltender and we want to get him in. It’s a matter of the right timing. Real played (Wednesday) because he was so strong on the three games on the weekend, but he wasn’t that good in this one.”

For the season, Prince George’s record sits at 4-5-0-2, good for a share of second place in the tepid B.C. Division. On the road trip, the Cats are 2-1-0-1, and Vandekamp wasn’t happy with how the two days off following a 2-1 loss to the Kootenay Ice affected his veteran lineup.

“Physically, the days off were good, but mentally I don’t think they were,” said Vandekamp, who hopes sophomore defenceman Chris Vanduynhoven can return from a broken wrist this weekend.

“I don’t think we underestimated the team we were playing against, but we have to get better. We’re still in need of added help on the back end, as guys get healthier.”

The next home action for Prince George is Friday, Oct. 27 against Setoguchi’s former team, the Saskatoon Blades. The Everett Silvertips make a stop at CN Centre the next night.

KBF
10-19-2006, 10:29 AM
Cougars just can't get it together eh? I know Bones was makin fun of the fact the Blazers lost to the Rockets and only beat the Broncos yet his precious Cougar team couldn't beat either.

As proven here in Kamloops, having a talented team on paper doesn't mean anything. I think thats why some Cougar fans and that joker Swanson got so carried away so early.

It was only about 4 years ago when we had Christensen, Upshall, Aulin, Panov, Johansson, on the same team at different times and did pretty much nothing with that talent. Why? Because they were all selfish, individuals who mostly played for themselves. And from the sounds of it, that seems like the same is happening with the Cougars with Hunter, Drazenovic, Robertson etc.


Bottom line, those Blazer teams a couple years back were majorly overated, and this Cougar team is in the same spot. I think they better be worrying about a young, talented, hard working Blazer team before the Giants because right now at this point, its unrealistic.

PGFlyfisher
10-19-2006, 05:03 PM
As proven here in Kamloops, having a talented team on paper doesn't mean anything. etc.


There is some truth to that, KBF.

But, geez, I hope this season turns out to be as good as the paper it' s written on. I for one, would like to see at least ONE banner hanging from the rafters here at CN Center before I die! :laugh:

prospera
10-19-2006, 05:12 PM
There is some truth to that, KBF.

But, geez, I hope this season turns out to be as good as the paper it' s written on. I for one, would like to see at least ONE banner hanging from the rafters here at CN Center before I die! :laugh:
once they gel there going to be pretty scary. go rockets go

Swando
10-19-2006, 05:25 PM
There is some truth to that, KBF.

But, geez, I hope this season turns out to be as good as the paper it' s written on. I for one, would like to see at least ONE banner hanging from the rafters here at CN Center before I die! :laugh:

You know your team better than us from other cities, but I think that you are an older team and giving up 1st rounders as you did, if you don't win this year it'll be some time to rebuild.

KBF
10-20-2006, 11:21 PM
Not trying to rub it in but, where is all that Cougar offense so far this season? I heard many times Coogssuperfan on the network54 boards running his mouth about "who's gonna score for the bloozers" yada yada yada his usual ignorance. Right now the Blazers have 35 goals in 10 games compared to the Cougars who have 29 goals in 12 games.

Seems to me the team seems to of boughten into the hype and are crashing and burning already.

Those "Bloozers" have proven through the first 10 games that they can easily leave the Cougars and Rockets and Bruins in the dust if they choose too.