Cougars goaltender Ty Young turning away a shot in his team's 7-5 loss to the Kelowna Rockets (Submitted photo/Prince George Cougars).

By Aaron Schulze

COUGARS FALL 7-5

Cougars welcome Rockets back to play, fall 7-5

Apr 18, 2021 | 11:07 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Prince George Cougars split a pair of weekend games after a 7-5 loss to the Kelowna Rockets on Saturday (April 17) at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops.

The Cougars scored two short-handed goals in the loss, but the Rockets dinged the Cougars for three short-handed goals of their own.

“It begins at the start of the game,” Cougars Associate Coach Jason Smith said. “We weren’t ready for the pressure they had. We didn’t counter their (Rockets) physicality and their energy and that put us on our heels. Credit to our younger guys as they did the best job at dealing with the pressure. They gave us a chance at the end.”

Saturday was the Rockets’ first game since March 28 nearly three weeks between games due to COVID-19 protocols.

The Cougars sit third in the B.C. WHL Hub standings with a 4-4-1-1 record. They’re off until Monday (April 19) when they play the Vancouver Giants in Kamloops.