scamperdog
10-21-2006, 09:11 AM
Cats falter in third again
by JASON PETERS Citizen staff www.princegeorgecitizen.com
The Prince George Cougars had a chance to win the game by winning the third period. They failed in both respects Friday night against the Tri-City Americans.
The Cougars and Americans, playing in Kennewick, Wash., entered the final period tied 2-2. Two unanswered goals by Tri-City’s Shaun Vey gave the Ams a 4-2 victory. Vey’s winning goal, at 2:56 of the third period, came on an innocent-looking shot from the blueline. His insurance marker was set up by a nice pass from Ladislav Scurko. Both goals came against rookie Prince George goaltender Jordan White.
“We didn’t play a real bad hockey game — we were running out of gas for one thing, I guess,” said Cougars head coach Mike Vandekamp. “(This was) the fifth game of six on the road. I guess it starts to take its toll. A soft goal in the third broke our backs. He (White) has got to save that shot. It wasn’t a very good goal there, that was very disappointing.”
In the opening stages of the third period, Tri-City goalie Carey Price made a huge glove save on Jared Walker. Price’s act of theft set the stage for Vey’s goals.
The Cougars could have helped their own cause by showing more life on the power play. In nine chances with the man advantage, they scored just once, a second-period marker by Dana Tyrell.
“You spend so much time talking about the power play,” Vandekamp said. “What the hell do you have to talk about? Get out there and get skating and take charge of the situation. As soon as we did that, our power play got better.”
Walker gave Prince George a 1-0 lead in the first period, scoring on a shorthanded rush with Eric Hunter.
In the second, Tri-City moved into a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal from Michael Kaye and a shorthanded effort from Alex Aldred, who stripped a puck away from Devin Setoguchi.
Price picked up the victory for the Americans and White took the loss. The Ams outshot the Cougars 40-26.
White, despite the soft goal, did his best to keep his team in the game. In the first period, he even stopped Scurko on a penalty shot. Then, in the second, White turned back Jarrett Toll’s breakaway attempt.
The Cougars, who have now lost three in a row, dropped to 4-6-0-2 on the season. The Americans, meanwhile, bumped their record to 8-2-0-0.
Vandekamp wants to see more from some of his high-profile players.
“I thought that the (Brett) Robertson-Setoguchi-Walker line was not very good at all,” he said. “I thought Walks was working hard but I was pretty disappointed in the other two guys. That’s what we just said in the dressing room (after the game) — If you’re not going to show up, then send us a memo beforehand and we won’t give you as much icetime as we did along the way there to try to score on the power play, et cetera.”
The Cougars and Americans are back on the ice tonight in Kennewick. The game marks the end of this six-game road trip for Prince George. In the first five road contests, the Cats are 2-2-0-1.
by JASON PETERS Citizen staff www.princegeorgecitizen.com
The Prince George Cougars had a chance to win the game by winning the third period. They failed in both respects Friday night against the Tri-City Americans.
The Cougars and Americans, playing in Kennewick, Wash., entered the final period tied 2-2. Two unanswered goals by Tri-City’s Shaun Vey gave the Ams a 4-2 victory. Vey’s winning goal, at 2:56 of the third period, came on an innocent-looking shot from the blueline. His insurance marker was set up by a nice pass from Ladislav Scurko. Both goals came against rookie Prince George goaltender Jordan White.
“We didn’t play a real bad hockey game — we were running out of gas for one thing, I guess,” said Cougars head coach Mike Vandekamp. “(This was) the fifth game of six on the road. I guess it starts to take its toll. A soft goal in the third broke our backs. He (White) has got to save that shot. It wasn’t a very good goal there, that was very disappointing.”
In the opening stages of the third period, Tri-City goalie Carey Price made a huge glove save on Jared Walker. Price’s act of theft set the stage for Vey’s goals.
The Cougars could have helped their own cause by showing more life on the power play. In nine chances with the man advantage, they scored just once, a second-period marker by Dana Tyrell.
“You spend so much time talking about the power play,” Vandekamp said. “What the hell do you have to talk about? Get out there and get skating and take charge of the situation. As soon as we did that, our power play got better.”
Walker gave Prince George a 1-0 lead in the first period, scoring on a shorthanded rush with Eric Hunter.
In the second, Tri-City moved into a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal from Michael Kaye and a shorthanded effort from Alex Aldred, who stripped a puck away from Devin Setoguchi.
Price picked up the victory for the Americans and White took the loss. The Ams outshot the Cougars 40-26.
White, despite the soft goal, did his best to keep his team in the game. In the first period, he even stopped Scurko on a penalty shot. Then, in the second, White turned back Jarrett Toll’s breakaway attempt.
The Cougars, who have now lost three in a row, dropped to 4-6-0-2 on the season. The Americans, meanwhile, bumped their record to 8-2-0-0.
Vandekamp wants to see more from some of his high-profile players.
“I thought that the (Brett) Robertson-Setoguchi-Walker line was not very good at all,” he said. “I thought Walks was working hard but I was pretty disappointed in the other two guys. That’s what we just said in the dressing room (after the game) — If you’re not going to show up, then send us a memo beforehand and we won’t give you as much icetime as we did along the way there to try to score on the power play, et cetera.”
The Cougars and Americans are back on the ice tonight in Kennewick. The game marks the end of this six-game road trip for Prince George. In the first five road contests, the Cats are 2-2-0-1.