WHL roundup: Funk scores twice as Cougars crush T-Birds 5-1
By The Canadian Press on February 20, 2024.
PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – Zac Funk scored twice, Ondrej Becher added three assists, and the Prince George Cougars crushed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 5-1 in Western Hockey League action on Tuesday night at the CN Centre. Riley Heidt, Carlin Dezainde and Terik Parascak also scored for the B.C. Division-leading Cougars (38-15-0-3), who led 3-1 after the first period and 4-1 heading into the third. Hudson Thornton and Parascak each chipped in with two assists. Sam Popowich scored for the Thunderbirds (19-33-2-0), who surrendered two power-play goals. The T-Birds are last in the U.S. Division. Elsewhere in the WHL on Tuesday night: — CHIEFS 6 WILD 4 WENATCHEE, Wash. – Shea Van Olm scored twice as the visiting Spokane Chiefs knocked off the Wenatchee Wild 6-4. Berkly Catton, Chase Bertholet, Rasmus Ekstrom and Will McIsaac also scored for the Chiefs (23-26-4-1), while Conner Roulette and Ty Cheveldayoff each chipped in with two assists. Ty Fraser, Josh Fluker, Jonas Woo and Sam Ward scored for the Wild (28-23-4-0), who were outshot 40-35. Rodzers Bukarts had two assists in the loss. POKE CHECKS: Graham Sward of the Wenatchee Wild was named the WHL’s Player of the Week on Tuesday. The Nashville Predators’ prospect had two goals, four assists and a plus-one rating in two games. The Abbotsford, B.C., product is second in assists (52) and points (65) among all WHL defencemen and is first in plus-minus with a plus-38 rating. “¦ Brett Mirwald of the Vancouver Giants was named Goaltender of the Week for the fourth time this season. The 20-year-old posted a 2-0-0-0 record against Western Conference opponents, putting up a 1.00 goals-against average and .971 save percentage. “¦ Netminder Evan Gardner of the Saskatoon Blades was named Rookie of the Week after recording his third shutout of the season. The Blades beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes 1-0 with Gardner making 16 saves. * This roundup was generated automatically with a CP-developed application. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2024. 14-13
