The Prince George Cougars secured a four-point weekend with a come-from-behind 5-3 victory over the Victoria Royals, Saturday at the Save on Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria.
The Royals wasted no time in setting the tone for the game, with Austin Zemlak wristing one through traffic just 34 seconds into the opening period, giving the Royals a 1-0 lead. Midway through the first period, tensions flared as Defenceman Bauer Dumanski and Royals forward Teydon Trembecky dropped the gloves in a spirited exchange. Despite their efforts, the Cougars were unable to mount a comeback, and the first period ended with the Royals holding a 1-0 advantage.
The second period saw the Royals extend their lead as Tanner Scott netted a quick goal early in the frame. Scott’s wrist shot found its way past Cougars’ goaltender Ty Young, making it 2-0 in favour of the Royals. However, the Cougars weren’t ready to concede. They took control of the play and capitalized on the man advantage, with Riley Heidt scoring both of their goals in the period on the power-play. Heidt’s first goal came at 10:27, assisted by Ondrej Becher on a 2-on-1 opportunity, and he followed it up with a tip-in goal at 17:53.
Terik Parascak continued his offensive prowess in the regular season, tucking in his league-leading eighth goal to give the Cougars a 3-2 lead just over a minute into the third period.
Just minutes later, the Cougars extended their lead with a short-handed goal courtesy of Carlin Dezainde at 9:31, making it 4-2 in favour of the Cats. Victoria fought back, narrowing the gap as Cole Reschny scored his first goal of the season at 17:08. However, that would be as close as the Royals would come to mounting a comeback.
With the game on the line, Carlin Dezainde delivered once again, potting his second goal of the night into an empty net at 19:12, securing the Cougars’ 5-3 victory and completing a successful four-point weekend.