The Tri-City Americans put together one of their top performances of the year to take down the 5-1 Prince George Cougars on the road. Tri-City had four different goal scorers to assist in the effort, and two American’s picked up their first career WHL Goals.

1st Period

The game started much better for Tri-City in the second matchup, as both teams combined for only one shot five minutes into the game — and it belonged to the Americans.

Tri-City set the tone by playing a more physical yet disciplined game, showing much sharper transitions as they searched for their first road victory of the season.

Cash Koch had the first big chance of the night after Crew Martinson spun a backhand pass to him in the slot. Koch was all alone in front but fired the puck right into the pad of goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen.

Momentum shifted when Jake Gudelj was called for interference in the Prince George end, handing the Cougars their first power play after Tri-City’s strong start.

Prince George capitalized quickly. Kooper Gizowski — who has recorded a point in every game this season — opened the scoring. Carels held the puck at the point before sliding it to Gizowski in the right circle, where he ripped a one-timer past Xavier Wendt at 9:15 to make it 1–0.

Just a minute later, Crew Martinson officially earned his first career WHL goal.

The night before, a goal initially credited to him had later been changed to Alexander Laing on the scoresheet. This time, there was no doubt. Martinson carried the puck from the red line into the right circle, hesitated briefly, then fired a shot that slipped past Ravensbergen’s glove and trickled in to tie the game 1–1. It also marked Martinson’s second straight game with a point.

Fourteen minutes in, Ismail Abogouche and Jack Finnegan dropped the gloves right after both exited the box for roughing penalties. The two traded solid punches before Abogouche dragged Finnegan to the ice, claiming victory. Both players were assessed game misconducts for the fight.

Shortly after, Ravensbergen came up with back-to-back stellar saves — the best being a right-to-left slide to rob Cruz Pavao, who was left unmarked at the back door.

After one period, the game was tied 1–1 thanks in large part to Ravensbergen’s heroics. Despite the score, it was a dominant frame for Tri-City, who outshot Prince George 13–4 — their best opening period so far this season.

2nd Period

Tri-City quickly took the lead just under two minutes into the second period as their dominance continued.

Jake Gudelj sent the puck to Savin Virk along the right-wing boards. Virk held onto it before feeding a centering pass to David Krcal streaking toward the net, and Krcal one-timed it glove side to make it 2–1.

The struggles continued for Prince George when Kooper Gizowski was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving Tri-City their first power-play opportunity of the night against the WHL’s top penalty kill.

However, the Americans were stifled and failed to register a single shot on the man advantage.

Prince George had a chance to even things up later in the frame, but they couldn’t capitalize either.

In the final minute of the second, the pace picked up after play had slowed following Krcal’s goal. Tri-City extended their lead to 3–1 after a stretch of wild north–south hockey following what had been a quiet second period.

Prince George came in on a three-on-one rush, but Wendt made a brilliant backdoor save to keep them off the board. Seconds later, Tri-City countered with a three-on-one of their own. Virk slid a pass across the crease to Cruz Pavao, who hammered an absolute rocket of a one-timer past Ravensbergen to make it three straight unanswered goals from Tri-City.

The two-goal cushion didn’t last long, as Carson Carels buried a rebound off a shot from Townez Kozicky from the right circle to cut the deficit to 3–2.

Tri-City carried that one-goal lead into the third period, setting up an exciting finish. Despite trailing, Prince George appeared to regain momentum, outshooting Tri-City 14–6 in the second period and generating a late surge following Carel’s goal.

3rd Period

After a great forecheck and a crisp play, the Cougars would start the third period off right and tie the game early in the third.

Carson Carels at the blue-line made a cross-ice pass to Captain Bauer Dumanski who smacked a one-timer from the blue-line that blocker side on Wendt.

Xavier Wendt would save the day for Tri-City after a horrendous pass by Charlie Elick right before the first media timeout in the third.

Elick behind the Tri-City net attempted a breakout feed, but it went right to Dmitiri Yakutsenak of Prince George. Up close and alone, Yakutsenak shot it right into Wendt’s glove.

At this point, Tri-City seemed to be holding on which was a vast turnaround from when they held a 3-1 lead late in the second.

For nearly the rest of the third period, Tri-City survived multiple scares as the puck would narrowly go wide or bounce over a stick of a Cougar on the backdoor.

With just a minute to spare, however and overtime looming, Jakub Vanecek hushed the CN Centre in Prince George with his second goal of the year.

Dylan LeBret served up a pass to Vanecek at the right-point. Vanecek then blasted a one-timer five-hole on Ravensbergen for the eventual game-winning goal.

Post Game/What’s Next

With that much-deserved win, Tri-City now moves to 2-5 on the season.

As stated above, four different goal scorers helped contribute to the Tri-City win today, two of them recording their first-career WHL Goals. Those two being David Krcal and Crew Martinson who had a multi-point night.

Xavier Wendt turned aside 27 shots to record his second win of the season and move to 2-2, outdueling a first-round NHL pick, Joshua Ravensbergen.

Tri-City will now head back home for a three-game homestand beginning next Saturday against the Prince George Cougars.