
BY COLE WALDIE
Prince George Cougars
KELOWNA, BC – The Prince George Cougars used an incredible third-period comeback to defeat the Kelowna Rockets by a 5-4 score, Saturday at Prospera Place.
Terik Parascak and Koehn Ziemmer had two goals apiece and both scored critical goals in the third to give the Cats the victory.
The game kicked off with a quick start from Kelowna, as captain Gabriel Szturc showcased his scoring prowess by notching his eighth goal of the season just 36 seconds into the game. Despite being outshot 14-7 in the first period, the Cougars remained resilient, setting the stage for an electrifying game.
The second period unfolded into a goal-scoring frenzy, with Terik Parascak leading the charge. Parascak’s short-handed goal at 3:11 leveled the playing field, but Kelowna responded swiftly with a power-play goal from Tij Iginla at 5:05. A fight between Prince George’s captain, Hudson Thornton, and Trae Johnson aimed to spark momentum for the Cougars, but Kelowna extended their lead with goals from Iginla and Szturc. In the waning moments of the period, Koehn Ziemmer’s tally brought the score to 4-2, keeping Prince George in contention.
The third period belonged entirely to the Cougars. Less than five minutes in, they outshot Kelowna 7-0, prompting the Rockets to call a timeout to shift the momentum. Undeterred, the Cougars mounted a comeback. Zac Funk’s power-play goal at 7:41 narrowed the gap, and Terik Parascak’s second goal at 11:11 levelled the score. In the final minutes, on the power play once again, Koehn Ziemmer netted a rebound at 16:12, securing the lead and ultimately the win for the Cougars.