Listen Live
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Heidt and Ziemmer showcase offensive mastery as Cougars shut out Vancouver

Nine seconds is all it took for the dynamic duo of Koehn Ziemmer and Riley Heidt to put their stamp on an important divisional game.

Both players had two goals and two assists each in a 5-0 Prince George Cougars victory over the Vancouver Giants on Tuesday in front of 2,324 fans at CN Centre.

Ziemmer scored on the game’s opening shot rifling a blast over the glove of Giants goaltender Brett Mirwald. Heidt entered the slot eventually finding the Los Angeles Kings top prospect on what looked to be an easy set up.

The 19-year-old from Mayerthorpe, Alberta continued his early game hot streak accepting a Heidt pass from the far corner – after whiffing on his opening shot attempt – Ziemmer had the prescence of mind to bat the puck out of the air with his stick, handcuffing Mirwald and extending the Cougars lead to 2-0.

“They had it going tonight, and I think it’s a really good thing because I didn’t we had a lot of players going. It’s a sign of a good team when you can have a line like that and come out and have a good offensive output, they win the game 5-0 when you don’t have everybody going,” said Mark Lamb, Cougars head coach/general manager.

“I thought Red Deer played us a lot harder. They skated a lot harder and I thought this game was kind of dead. We didn’t have a lot of action going or four lines going there just wasn’t a lot of pizzazz in the game except for that one line.”

In the second, it was Heidt who would become the beneficiary of some Ziemmer passing. At the 1:30 mark, the native of Saskatoon drove hard to the net and tapped home a Ziemmer feed past a sprawled out Mirwald.

Eight minutes later, following a Adam Titlbach holding infraction, Heidt found himself just outside the faceoff circle where he sent the puck into orbit on a vicious one-timer set up by Ziemmer making it 4-0 after two periods.

Hunter Laing put the exclamation mark on the game in the third with a sweet display of stickhandling, outwaiting three Giants players including Mirwald – all the 6’6 winger had to do was tuck the puck inside the post for his 3rd of the season.

“That goal he scored tonight is typical of what Lainger can do. He’ll get a little more confidence and want to do more of that.”

Overall, Vancouver outshot Prince George 32-27. The Cougars went 1-for-7 on the power-play while the Giants were 0-for-3.

Ty Young was stellar inside the Cougars crease collecting his 2nd career shutout in the WHL. Many of his saves were of the Grade A variety against Connor Dale and Ty Halaburda (Vancouver), especially in the the first period where PG was outshot 13-6.

“Younger was outstanding. He is a good goalie and we have seen it enough and am not surprised when he comes out and plays like that,” said Lamb.

During a stoppage in the first period, the Cougars showed a touch of class honouring local product and Vancouver rookie forward Cameron Schmidt who scored the game-winning goal for Canada at the recently completed World U-17 Hockey Challenge from Prince Edward Island to capture a gold medal.

Schmidt, who was taken seventh overall by the Giants in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft has eight points in 11 games this season.

PG (14-5-0-0-) looks to complete the mid-week double header sweep tonight (Wednesday) against Vancouver (7-11-1-0). Puck drop is at 7:00 from CN Centre.

Something going on in the Bulkley Valley Lakes District you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].

Continue Reading

cfbv Now playing play

- Advertisement -

Related Articles

Latest News

Report makes six recommendations on event safety after Lapu Lapu festival tragedy

A report commissioned by the B.C. government after a deadly attack at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver makes a number of recommendations to improve security at public events.

Shoreline health survey being conducted at Francois Lake

Francois Lake’s shoreline is getting a checkup this summer...

B.C. SPCA welcomes proposed ban on exotic cats

The B.C. SPCA is welcoming proposed regulations from the B.C. government to ban all exotic cat species. 

RCMP seeking two men after explosion outside MLA Bowinn Ma’s North Van office

RCMP have released images of two men they believe were involved in an explosion last month in North Vancouver, which damaged the front door of the building housing the constituency office of B.C. NDP MLA and cabinet minister Bowinn Ma.

Smithers Hamhuis to be inducted into BC Hockey Hall of Fame

Dan Hamhuis walked through every door that came open...
- Advertisement -