GAMEDAY PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS Vs
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10 – The Prince George Citizen – Tuesday, January 6, 2009 Connolly returns, GAMEDAY PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS vs. MOOSE JAW WARRIORS Armstrong still out 7 p.m., CN Centre Cougars: 14-26-0-1, eighth in West by JIM SWANSON “Brett’s a quiet guy, doesn’t smile day and made seven saves. Warriors: 14-25-0-1, 12th in East Citizen Sports Editor much, but he was beaming all the time “Joey’s had some tough nights for us, At least one body returns to the fold he was talking about it. The experience but I didn’t make that change for any PRINCE GEORGE — The Cougars close out a three-game homestand by meeting their Eastern Conference twin, the Warriors. The two teams are dead even in points, with Moose to replenish a makeshift lineup. on the ice and off the ice for him, it other reason than to reward Joel,” said Jaw holding a game in hand. Moose Jaw sits last in the Eastern Division... The Cougars have The Prince George Cougars will have was very good — he said the team was Klippenstein. lost five in a row, winless since the holiday break, and are coming off a pair of 5-2 losses to winger Brett Connolly on the ice tight-knit, and that’s not always the “Joel’s been a good Cougar. Anytime Tri-City on the weekend... C Justin Maylan is the only player remaining from the deal a tonight as they look to snap a five- case with (an interprovincial team) we’ve asked him to come join us, he’s year ago that sent Ty Wishart and Evan Fuller to Moose Jaw, with Maylan and a first- game losing streak at the expense of with how rivalries can build up.” come on a moment’s notice. I thought round bantam pick (Jesse Forsberg) becoming property of the Cougars. Forsberg and the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. Winger Marek Viedensky helped sur- he played pretty well.” David Greyeyes, both midget defencemen who are getting a taste of WHL hockey, will play Connolly was one of the top for- prising Slovakia to fourth place at the Still, the priority is to get Armstrong back. again tonight... LW Brian Matte (concussion), G Kevin Armstrong (knee) and LW Corey Tyrell (shoulder) won’t play, with Tyrell the most likely to be ready. RW Ryan wards the past 10 days while skating world juniors and will head back to “(Armstrong) is close,” said Klippen- Kowalski (head) is a question mark... The Cougars leave Thursday for a back-and-forth, for Team Pacific at the World Under-17 Prince George today. The 18-year-old, stein, who on Saturday guessed the three-in-three road trip that stops in Everett, Kelowna and Seattle... With RW Brett Connol- Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni. Pa- who didn’t produce many points but overage netminder would be out up to ly back from the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, the Cougars have eight forwards to cific finished second in the event, los- was solid skating on the top line, could two weeks. dress, along with 10 defencemen, so expect to see Dallas Jackson, Matt Cumming and ing to Ontario in the final. be back in time for the game, but Klip- “He went to the doctor (Sunday) and Jeff Regier skating up front. The situation makes it tough to roll four lines, as other teams The 16-year-old, who will get plenty penstein wasn’t planning on having the it didn’t seem as severe, which is good have been doing against the Cougars with great success. of consideration as rookie-of-the-year, 18-point man in the lineup. news, so he was cleared to practice MOOSE JAW — The Warriors are 4-2 on this western trip, including an 8-4 thrashing of Kamloops on Saturday night... C Joel Broda leads the WHL in goal-scoring with 35, and was slides in as a no-doubt-about-it first- Klippenstein will choose between (Monday). He stayed out for about quite correctly named player-of-the-week for scoring nine times and adding two assists in four line player, and the team’s most dan- Joe Caligiuri and Joel Danyluk for half, nothing dangerous, and nothing games. Broda, who had 28 goals all of last season, is the hot topic for the trade deadline, which gerous forward. With Dana Tyrell out tonight because Kevin Armstrong will happened so we told him to head in hits Saturday, and Moose Jaw GM Chad Lang has said all the division leaders have called to in- for the season, Connolly is the team’s miss at least one more game with a just to be safe. We had three goalies quire about the former Tri-City first-rounder, who is from Prince Albert. Broda has 35 goals and leading scorer with 16 goals and 34 knee problem. Caligiuri started both there, and if we’d only had two goalies 12 assists, so don’t expect to see him pass when he’s within firing range. Most impressive is that points in 34 games. weekend games, 5-2 losses to the Tri- he’d have practiced the whole time.” Broda only has seven power-play goals among those 35 tallies... Among the Warriors to watch is “Brett really enjoyed the experience, City Americans, although Danyluk, a At the very worst, the Cougars hope centre Quinton Howden, a Manitoba native who played for Team West at the under-17 tour- and what was so encouraging to hear recall from the SJHL where he has Armstrong will be ready to go for week- nament. Howden was the top pick in the 2007 bantam draft, and he has seven goals and 16 points in 33 games... D Travis Hamonic was a late cut from Team Canada for the world ju- was what a great group the kids were,” played sparingly for the Yorkton Terri- end road games in Everett, Kelowna niors... C Jason Bast has 13 goals and 36 points, second on the team to Broda... said head coach Wade Klippenstein. ers, handled the third period on Satur- and Seattle. The trip starts Friday. P.G. minor hockey product enjoying ice life in Tri-City by JIM SWANSON school,” said Asuchak, who plays for Citizen Sports Editor a Prince George native in head coach Unlike many of his Tri-City Ameri- Don Nachbaur. cans teammates, Spencer Asuchak “I remember playing for an atom found the surroundings quite familiar development team, and for the pee- Brodsky this weekend. wee Cougars, before we moved to The rookie winger, a 17-year-old al- Salmon Arm. This was my first time ready filling in at six-foot-four and back, and I love it — it brings back 193 pounds, was at home for a West- good memories. I keep in touch with changes ern Hockey League doubleheader at a lot of friends from here, talk to CN Centre. them on MSN or on Facebook. I Asuchak, who now calls Kamloops know a few of the Cougars, too, home, spent four years in Prince from hockey — Tyler Halliday and her title George and was a peewee rep player Matt Cumming, and I played against before his father Warren, a former Art Bidlevskii. by JIM SWANSON manager of the city’s pools, moved the “It’s nice to look around and see this Citizen Sports Editor family to Salmon Arm. place again. I’m glad to be in Tri-City, It’s a change in title, but not in Returning to Prince George was a it’s a good place to play.” duties. thrill for Asuchak — even moreso Asuchak played for the Thompson The Prince George Cougars have when he scored a goal against the Blazers major midget hockey team undergone a minor restructuring, if Cougars, his second of the season, and last season, with 10 goals and 25 it even qualifies as that, with Brandi helped the Americans to a pair of 5-2 points, along with 66 penalty min- Brodsky having to order new busi- victories. utes, in 35 games. Because of a late ness cards. Asuchak’s first WHL goal came on birthday, he’s not eligible for the NHL Brodsky, the daughter of owner New Year’s Eve in a 6-1 win over the draft until 2010. Rick Brodsky and the wife of gener- Spokane Chiefs. He then tallied in his Nachbaur said Asuchak is slowly get- al manager Dallas Thompson, is no very next game, and now has three ting a grasp on what it takes to be suc- longer the team’s business manager. points on the season, in 18 games. The cessful in the WHL. Instead, she’s taken on the title of lefty shooter is minus-1 with eight “He’s a young guy, pretty raw, and vice-president. penalty minutes. he’s still got lots to learn because it’s It’s a somewhat cosmetic change “I lived here from Grade 2 to Grade his first year,” said the veteran coach, that reflects what’s on her plate, 7, and went to Hart Highland ele- who surpassed the 400-game mark she said. mentary and Heather Park middle earlier this season. “We finalized it (Monday), and “He’s got some size, skates really the main reason is that I’m dealing Citizen photo by Chuck Nisbett well, and once he figures it out he with people nationally and people Spencer Asuchak, who played pee- should be a pretty good player. He’s in the United States,” said Brod- wee rep hockey in Prince George, been in and out of our lineup, but sky.