BY COLE WALDIE
Prince George Cougars
The Prince George Cougars have been a dominant force since the puck dropped on the 2023-24 WHL season.
Despite a 2-1 shootout loss to the Kamloops Blazers on February 17, the Cougars (37-15-0-2) have sealed a spot in the WHL Playoffs for a third straight year by nature of a 6-4 Tri-City loss to Spokane.
The Cougars are on pace for one of the most successful campaigns the franchise has seen since relocating to Prince George in 1994.
Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt set a new marker for points (253 in his career) and assists, 2024 NHL Draft-eligible forward and three-time Kal Tire WHL Rookie of the Week winner Terik Parascak recorded the most goals by a Cougars rookie (31) and Captain Hudson Thornton has become the team’s leader in goals, assists and points (176 in his career) by a defenceman.
League-leading scorer Zac Funk tallied his 50th goal of the season- and added another- on Friday night. The alternate captain is among six Cougars players who have surpassed the 50-point plateau with more than a dozen games left to play. Funk has also recorded seven hat tricks and 14 multi-goal games in his first full season with Prince George.
The Cats have also been solid between the pipes, with rookie netminder Joshua Ravensbergen wracking up six shutouts through the first half of the season to earn WHL Goaltender of the Month for November.
The Cougars have one WHL Championship, which was captured by the Victoria Cougars in 1980-81.
The team hopes this is the year they can bring the Ed Chynoweth Cup to the Northern Capital.
You can catch all the action on the road to the 2024 WHL Playoffs on WHLlive.com.