A preview of the first-round playoff series between the Prince George Cougars and the Spokane Chiefs.

The one-vs-eight matchup in the Western Conference will feature the Prince George Cougars facing off against the Spokane Chiefs. The last time these two faced off was during the 2000 playoffs when the Chiefs defeated the Cougars 4-1 in the West Division Final. Despite these two teams being separated by 36 points during the regular season, this has been a tight matchup, with each side picking up one regulation win and one overtime win this year. 

Prince George is the clear favourite in this series, as they have one of the most dynamic offences in the CHL. Zac Funk, Riley Heidt and Terik Parascak all finished above 100 points, with four more eclipsing the 50-point mark this season. A team that has scored 5+ goals in each of their last nine games, they are clearly one of the favourites to make it to the WHL Final. 

As for Spokane, they need Berkly Catton and Conner Roulette to shine if they want to pull off the upset. The Chiefs were the only team to beat the Cougars in March, and they have shown that they can pour on the offence with 6+ goals in three of their final four games. It will be an uphill battle, but based on the season series, it could end up much closer than projected.

Predicition: Prince George in 4

Playoff Schedule:

Game 1: Friday, March 29, 7:00 p.m. PT @ Prince George
Game 2: Saturday, March 30, 6:00 p.m. PT @ Prince George 
Game 3: Tuesday, April 2, 7:05 p.m. PT @ Spokane
Game 4: Wednesday, April 3, 7:05 p.m. PT @ Spokane 
*Game 5: Friday, April 5, 7:05 p.m. PT @ Spokane
* Game 6: Monday, April 8, 7:00 p.m. PT @ Prince George
* Game 7: Wednesday, April 10, 7:00 p.m. PT @ Prince George 

Season Series:

Prince George Cougars: 2-1-1-0

Spokane Chiefs: 2-1-1-0

Spokane 4 @ Prince George 5 (Mar 2, 2024) Final OT
Spokane 5 @ Prince George 4 (Mar 1, 2024) Final OT
Prince George 3 @ Spokane 4 (Jan 26, 2024) Final
Prince George 6 @ Spokane 3 (Dec 2, 2023) Final

Leading Scorers During Season Series:

Prince George Cougars:

1) Ondrej Becher- 4 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 P
2) Zac Funk- 4 GP, 4 G, 1 A, 5 P
3) Riley Heidt- 4 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 P
4) Viliam Kmec- 4 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 P
5) Oren Shtrom- 4 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 P

Spokane Chiefs:

1) Berkly Catton- 4 GP, 5 G, 3 A, 8 P
2) Conner Roulette- 4 GP, 0 G, 8 A, 8 P
3) Shea Van Olm- 3 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 6 P
4) Brayden Crampton 4 GP, 1  3 4 4 4
5) Ty Cheveldayoff- 4 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 P

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