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Thread: The Way of the Road!

  1. #1
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    Smile The Way of the Road!

    http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/i...043&Itemid=160

    Cougars loving road life
    (Sports) Tuesday, 16 October 2007, 22:56 PST
    JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
    The Prince George Cougars said an early-season trip would help the bonding process -- on and off the ice. With two wins in three games so far, it’s hard not to agree.

    The Cats put themselves within one win of guaranteeing an admirable .500 record on the six-game trip with a 3-1 triumph Tuesday over the Saskatoon Blades.

    The Cougars are 2-1 on the trip, improving to 3-7-0-0 overall, and those on the inside of the bus are watching things come together. The Blades (3-5-1-0), meanwhile, start a five-game western swing Friday in Spokane and are headed in the opposite direction.

    “Part of it is getting out and getting the guys together, but more than that we’re a month into things here and guys are starting to get more comfortable with our systems,” said head coach Drew Schoneck.

    “We’re getting better reads, being in better position, and with that comes better results. The biggest difference tonight was special teams -- they scored a power-play goal early, but we really shut them down from there and our power play capitalized when we needed it most.”

    The Cougars, now 2-2 in road games this season, were 2-9 on the power play and outshot the Blades 33-31, including 19-7 in the second period.

    “Prince George outworked us... give them credit,” Blades coach Lorne Molleken told the StarPhoenix.

    Veteran Real Cyr got the call in goal for the Cougars, and was victimized early when Walker Wintoneak converted on a power play with 2:43 gone in the game and Cougars winger Morgan MacLean serving a charging penalty.

    But the Cougars turned a string of Blades minor penalties into the tying goal -- and could’ve done even more damage if they’d been able to take advantage of the second of two five-on-three chances. On the first opportunity, Dana Tyrell was the beneficiary of a dandy pass from captain Greg Gardner late in the first period, connecting to knot the score at 1-1.

    The Cougars increased that to a 3-1 advantage after 40 minutes on goals by Alex Poulter, his fourth, and newcomer MacLean, who used his big shot to beat Blades goaltender Braden Holtby high for Prince George’s second power-play goal.

    Neither team scored in the third. Cyr finished with 30 saves in his first action on the road trip, picking up his second victory of the season. He was the first star of the game, dropping his goals-against average to 5.13 in the process, and securing the nod tonight in Prince Albert where he’ll play his final WHL game in front of family and friends.

    “He certainly earned that -- with our goalies, we’re going to run with a ‘win and you’re in’ program,” said Schoneck.

    “We were victimized by a bit of a bad start, they were up on us 7-0 in shots, and he really stemmed the tide for us. He made some nice saves then, and also in the third when they got some power plays and he really controlled his rebounds.

    “But the important part was once our guys got our legs underneath them and started pressuring them we took control of the hockey game.”

    Garrett Thiessen, the 18-year-old Prince George product who had been learning life on the wing, was moved back to his natural blueline position to help calm an unsettled defence.

    Import winger Jan Kupec, 17, who had been out six games with a bad shoulder, returned Tuesday. Defenceman Trevor Bauer, a 17-year-old freshman, sat out his fourth game with a right-leg charleyhorse, as did Dale Hunt, out a month with broken fingers on his left hand.

    The Cougars are back on ice tonight against the Raiders, then finish the trip with stops in Regina (Friday) and Swift Current (Saturday). The next home action is Oct. 26-27 when the Chilliwack Bruins trek north.

    n Defenceman Jesse Dudas, a 19-year-old draft choice of the Columbus Blue Jackets, became the first Cougar to be suspended this season when the league made him sit out Tuesday’s game.

    Dudas was given the one-game punishment for his late-game charging major and game misconduct in Saturday’s 6-2 loss in Moose Jaw. Dudas has two points, 15 penalty minutes and is minus-nine in eight games this season.

    That wasn’t the only WHL discipline handed down this week. Red Deer Rebels forward J.D. Watt was given six games for a hit to the head on Saskatoon defenceman Teigan Zahn last weekend, a hit that left Zahn with a concussion. As well, Spokane’s Curtis Kelner earned two games off for his actions in a weekend game against Portland, and Regina’s Colten Teubert will sit two contests for his hit on Moose Jaw’s Riley Holzapfel on Sunday
    A PROUD MEMBER OF LEAF NATION

  2. #2
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    Thumbs up Cyrsie

    Neither team scored in the third. Cyr finished with 30 saves in his first action on the road trip, picking up his second victory of the season. He was the first star of the game, dropping his goals-against average to 5.13 in the process, and securing the nod tonight in Prince Albert where he’ll play his final WHL game in front of family and friends.

    “He certainly earned that -- with our goalies, we’re going to run with a ‘win and you’re in’ program,” said Schoneck.

    In front of family and friends is the understatement of the day! He can expect 350+ fans tonight. CYR is a hero to us here back at home and he will be supported tonight indeed. See you at the game! GO COUGARS!
    A PROUD MEMBER OF LEAF NATION

  3. #3
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    Default Good Game

    I was at the game last night in Saskatoon and was very impressed. WIth Cyr and the effort put it by the Cougars too to out shoot Saskatoon 33 - 31 Good game Cougars!! Im also going to P.A tonight and hope to see the same effort by the cats and ofcourse Real Cyr!!!! GO COUGARS!!
    pbj GO COUGARS GO nhl3

  4. #4
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    Default Cyr

    http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/i...218&Itemid=160
    Two straight for Cyr, Cats
    (Sports) Wednesday, 17 October 2007, 22:57 PST
    JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
    Welcome home, Mr. Cyr.

    Prince George Cougars goaltender Real Cyr, a veteran in his fourth season, appears to have shaken his early-season doldrums with back-to-back first-star showings.

    The latest, a 31-save performance on Wednesday, led the Cougars to a 3-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. A night before he made 30 saves and helped the Cats to a same-score win over the Saskatoon Blades, but nothing was sweeter than standing on his head in front of roughly 200 supporters from his hometown, nearby Victoire, Sask.

    “I was trying not to think about it before the game, or during, but after it’s over now I can soak up all the support I was getting from relatives and fans back home,” said Cyr, who defeated a familiar foe in the opposition net -- Dustin Butler, acquired by the Raiders last month, was the netminder for the Kamloops Blazers in last spring’s Cougars sweep of the first round of the playoffs.

    “They all bought their own tickets, so I’m not broke. I might have to buy some people a coffee or a beer in the summer.”

    The Cougars fired 24 shots at the goal guarded by Butler in a game witnessed by 2,135 at the Art Hauser Centre. Cyr’s once-grotesque goals-against average is plummeting to earth, and he’s now 3-4-0 with a 4.38 average and .877 save percentage.

    “I just remembered back to the days when I felt relaxed playing in this building,” said Cyr. “It was a familiar feeling. I’m just keeping (the slow start) out of my head and looking forward.”

    Cyr’s return to form, it is no coincidence, comes at the same time the Cougars (4-7-0-0) have put up their first winning streak of the season. This team is 3-2 away from CN Centre.

    “He made three or four big saves, particularly early in the third to keep the game where it was (at 1-1),” said Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck.

    “If you were a thief, you’d have quite a time in Victoire because I think the whole town was here for this game.”

    But on Wednesday, Cyr was hardly the only star -- though the night didn’t start the way the Cougars wanted as, yet again, they surrendered the first goal.

    Raiders blueliner Tomas Voracek wired a shot past Cyr at 6:38 of the first period, but the Cougars managed a potential back-breaker with two seconds left in the first on Alex Poulter’s fifth of the season, the game’s lone power-play goal.

    Cougars centre Jan Kupec was leveled by a clean hit from Raiders blueliner Mike Gauthier 1:27 into the game, taken to the dressing room after Evan Fuller came to the rookie’s defence and instigated a scrap with Gauthier. It was a mild surprise that Kupec returned to action later that period, and even more of a boost to the Cougars when he scored his first WHL goal, the game-winner to boot, with 10:55 remaining in the game.

    Poulter, named third star, added an empty-net marker with 16 seconds to play.

    “Jan had the puck coming down the right-wing wall and made a tactical error in cutting to the middle,” said Schoneck, noting that Kupec has only been back from a shoulder injury for two games.

    “One of their bigger defencemen made him pay -- it was a yard sale, and he had a cut lip that required stitches. (Trainer Chris Linder) took him to the room and put Humpty Dumpty together again. (Kupec) came back and played well, scored the game-winner for us, and that shows a lot of character. He could’ve shut it down and taken the rest of the game off -- or the rest of the month, for that matter. He showed big guts in coming back. Instead of folding the tent, he put the poles back up and kept camping.”

    Wednesday also marked a successful return to Prince Albert by Schoneck and assistant Wade Klippenstein, who teamed up behind the bench for the Raiders a few years ago. At that time, Klippenstein was the head man and Schoneck was the puck-pusher in practice. Klippenstein’s ties to Prince Albert are tight -- his wife Ashley is from the northern Saskatchewan city.

    “It’s always nice to beat a former team,” said Schoneck, whose team killed off all five Raiders’ power plays while going 1-4 with the man-advantage.

    “It’s probably nicer for Wade because he was the head coach here and had to move on.

    “But it’s bigger for our team -- we played another good hockey game. We had tired legs, but the guys battled through it and they’re starting to see the fruits of their labour with the systems we want to play. It’s effective if they stick to it. We went through some lean weeks to start, but things are starting to come together.”

    Those scratched for the Cougars on Wednesday were Dale Hunt (broken fingers), Trevor Bauer (charleyhorse) and 19-year-old defenceman Patrik Magnusson, who sat as a coach’s decision. Jesse Dudas was back in the lineup after serving a one-game league suspension, and Ty Wishart was given an assist on Poulter’s first goal and now has 13 points, including nine helpers, in 11 games, good for second among league defencemen. Wishart was plus-2 in the game.

    “(Sitting Magnusson) was a bit of a message,” said Schoneck.

    “We expect our guys to play a certain way, and we have extra guys now with Garrett Thiessen playing defence again. Magnusson knows what he has to do, but we have the option of sitting a guy if his play isn’t up to snuff -- that message is for other guys, too.”

    The Cougars, now 3-1 on the trip, will get a day off before ending the East Division swing with games in Regina (Friday) and Swift Current (Saturday). The next home action for the Cats is Oct. 26-27 against Chilliwack.



  5. #5
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    Default

    http://www.opinion250.com/sports/cougars.php

    [QUOTEl]October 17, 2007

    Prince George Cougars 3
    Prince Albert 1


    Prince Albert was first to score, hitting the net at the 6:38 mark of the first period, but that was the only goal they would score.
    The Cougars' Alex Poultar scored on the power play in the first period, with Jesse Dudas and Ty Wishart picking up the assists.
    There were no goals scored in the second period, and in the third, Jan Kupec scored his first of the season with Jordie Deagle and Evan Fuller getting points as helpers. Then Alex Poultar would score again on the empty net with just seconds left on the clock.
    The Cougars Real Cyr faced 32 shots on goal, while Prince Albert faced 24[/QUOTE]

  6. #6
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    Talking Big homecoming win!!

    Cyr played fabulous in his final homecoming of his WHL carreer, unless he gets traded.. He faced 32 shots!! he was oustanding!! There was over 200 people from his home town watching him, he even finished with the #1 STAR!! It was a great game, keep it up CATS!! applause
    PG and Habs Fan!!!!!!!!!!

  7. #7
    reanp Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by habsfan12
    Cyr played fabulous in his final homecoming of his WHL carreer, unless he gets traded.. He faced 32 shots!! he was oustanding!! There was over 200 people from his home town watching him, he even finished with the #1 STAR!! It was a great game, keep it up CATS!! applause
    yes it was an awesome game. i wish i could of seen the one in saskatoon too. i was so happy that real had two deadly games out here at home.
    HE'S BACK!!! way to go cougars.

  8. #8
    BIG_CLAW Guest

    Default keep it going !

    Good trip so far, still would like a point or two from the last two games vs. the Pats or the Broncos. GO COUGS.

  9. #9
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    Default

    Welcome aboard Big Claw!
    A PROUD MEMBER OF LEAF NATION

  10. #10
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    Thumbs down

    does any one why the Cougars have an empty net goal against them against Regina..looks like the Cats are having a rough start in Regina..
    PG and Habs Fan!!!!!!!!!!

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