The Prince George stretched their win streak to three games after a 3-0 shutout win over the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday at the Sandman Centre.
Koehn Ziemmer scored the Cougars first two goals, both in the second period, and Tyson Upper added an empty-net goal. For Ziemmer, he took over the team goal scoring lead with his two-goal performance. He now has goals in three-straight games and six over his last five games.
Taylor Gauthier marked his 150th game in the WHL with his first shutout of the season as he stopped all 26 shots fired his way. In his last five starts, all wins, he sports a 1.00 goals-against average (GAA) and .967 save percentage (SV%).
The victory improved the Cougars record to 9-7-2-1, as they leapfrogged the Giants for second place in the B.C Division. Wednesday was the final game of the six-game season series, as the Cougars went 4-1-0-1 against the Giants in the RE/MAX Hub.
Ziemmer opened the scoring at 4:36 into the middle frame as he made no mistake on a breakaway. He then doubled his team’s lead late in the second period on a great individual effort. The 16-year-old grabbed the loose puck at the side of the net, wheeled into the slot, before he spun and fired it through the goalie’s arm.
Upper put the finishing touches on the win with his empty-net goal with just over 90-seconds left in regulation.
With Wednesday’s win, Gauthier ran up his personal win streak to five games. In the last five, he’s 5-0-0-0, with a 1.00 GAA and .967 SV%, to go along with one shutout. In four games against the Giants, He finished with a 3-1-0-0 record, with a 1.25 GAA and .960 SV%.
The Cougars only played Wednesday’s game with 16 skaters due to injury and a suspension. Jonny Hooker is eligible to return Saturday, as Wednesday was the final game of his four-game ban.
GAME SUMMARY
Scoring
Cougars: Ziemmer (2), Upper
Giants: No scoring
Goaltending
Cougars: Taylor Gauthier, 60:00, 26 saves, 26 shots
Giants: Drew Sim, 58:57, 13 saves, 15 shots
Power-Play
Cougars: 0-6
Giants: 0-2
Shots:
Cougars: 16
Giants: 26
Three Stars: 1) Taylor Gauthier 2) Koehn Ziemmer 3) Riley
Next Game: Saturday, May 8 at Victoria Royals (Prospera Place) at 7:05 p.m.