A preview of the second-round playoff series between the Prince George Cougars and the Kelowna Rockets.

The top-seeded Prince George Cougars are set to face off against the number five-ranked Kelowna Rockets in the second round of the 2024 WHL playoffs. The last time these two teams met was in 2011 when the Rockets, led by Tyson Barrie and Damon Severson, swept the Cougars in the first round. Unlike that series, Prince George will have home ice advance as they look to advance to the West Final for the first time since 2007. 

The Cougars are an offensive powerhouse who can steamroll teams at will. They had a 20-9 goal advantage in the first round against the Spokane Chiefs and were unsparingly led by Zac Funk, who had three goals and eight points in the series. Going up against a Rockets team that they dominated in the regular season, they should be able to continue to rack up the goals in round two. 

For the Rockets to be successful, Jari Kykkanen has to be a brick wall like he was in round one. While Kelowna has plenty of offensive weapons, it will be challenging to win if the game plan is just to outscore the Cougars. While it won't be difficult, they should make this series interesting as they have some exciting game-breakers in their lineup. 

Prediction: Prince George in five

Playoff Schedule:

Game 1: Friday, April 12 @ Prince George, 7:00 p.m. PT
Game 2: Saturday, April 13 @ Prince George 6:00 p.m. PT
Game 3: Tuesday, April 16 @ Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. PST
Game 4: Wednesday, April 17 @ Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. PT
*Game 5: Friday, April 19 @ Prince George, 7:00 p.m. PT
*Game 6: Sunday, April 21 @ Kelowna, 2:05 p.m. PT
*Game 7: Tuesday, April 23 @ Prince George, 7:00 p.m. PT

Season Series:

Prince George: 6-1-0-1
Kelowna: 2-4-1-1

Prince George 6 @ Kelowna 5 (Mar 13, 2024) Final OT
Prince George 6 @ Kelowna 5 (Feb 24, 2024) Final SO
Kelowna 3 @ Prince George 2 (Jan 13, 2024) Final SO
Kelowna 2 @ Prince George 5 (Jan 12, 2024) Final
Prince George 5 @ Kelowna 4 (Nov 18, 2023) Final
Prince George 4 @ Kelowna 5 (Oct 13, 2023) Final
Kelowna 1 @ Prince George 8 (Oct 4, 2023) Final
Kelowna 2 @ Prince George 3 (Oct 3, 2023) Final

Leading Scorers During Season Series

Prince George Cougars

1) Ondrej Becher: 8 GP, 3 G, 11 A, 14 P
2) Zac Funk: 8 GP, 8 G, 4 A, 12 P
3) Terik Parascak: 8 GP, 6 G, 6 A, 12 P
4) Hudson Thornton: 8 GP, 3 G, 9 A, 12 P
5) Riley Heidt: 8 GP, 2 G, 9 A, 11 P

Kelowna Rockets

1) Gabriel Szturc: 6 GP, 3 G, 8 A, 11 P
2) Tij Iginla: 6 GP, 5 G, 4 A, 9 P 
3) Andrew Cristall: 7 GP, 4 G, 5 A, 9 P 
4) Hiroki Gojsic: 8 GP, 5 G, 3 A, 8 P
5) Michael Cicek: 8 GP, 1 G, 6 A, 7 P

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