Cougars preparing for a tough opponent in WHL second round

“I think losing those two games was kind of a wake up call for us and almost helped us in a way. We know the playoffs isn’t going to be a four game sweep and it’s hard to do that. I think for us it was just a big momentum thing. We learned we have to stay out of the box and to stay dialed in from the start. I think that’s been a big thing for us and it obviously helped us in game six.” said Gizowski.

Entering the series Penticton boasts a stellar penalty kill but the Cougars will be deploying one of the top powerplays in the league which has improved from an elite 31.6% in the regular season to over 50% over the first round against the Chiefs. Powerplay opportunities are far and few between in the playoffs and Lamb says capitalizing on those few opportunities could ultimately be the difference in the series.

“You know the special teams battle, if you can come out on top of that it helps. Winning it always gives you a better chance to to win that final game.” said Lamb.

In the meantime the team remains calm, cool and collected heading into their matchup against Penticton.

“You know you’re happy after the first series but now you have to come out and play round two. I think for all of us especially the 20 year old’s you’re kind of you’re fighting to continue playing. You know it’s our last junior year and obviously everyone’s hungry to win. You know we have an unreal team and I think we have a really good chance to go far this year. We need to just stay focused and worry about the next game.” said Gizowski.

The Cougars face the Penticton Vees in Round two action this Friday and Saturday in Penticton with game three set for Tuesday at the CN Centre.

by Nick Dube

Cougars preparing for a tough opponent in WHL second round

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