Ashton Ferster in action against the Prince George Cougars on Feb. 23, 2024. (Photo via Allen Douglas)
Ashton Ferster scored the only goal of the night as the Prince George Cougars took one big step towards clinching the B.C. Division title, with a 5-1 over the Kamloops Blazers Friday.
Ferster’s 15th of the season was the only goal of the second period at Sandman Centre, as the Blazers were playing their first game without defenceman Harrison Brunicke following his injury Monday night.
His goal at 10:38 of the period meant the rebuilding Blazers scored for the 45th game in a row, with their last shutout coming in a 4-0 defeat to Medicnie Hat on Oct. 20, 2023.
Finnie ➡️ Ferster🚨🔥 pic.twitter.com/HMYzwsMUCx
— Kamloops Blazers (@blazerhockey) February 24, 2024
The Cougars, who were beaten by the Blazers in a shootout last Saturday, were up 3-0 after the first period, courtesy goals from Ondrej Becher, Terik Parascak, and Borya Valis.
Parascak and Valis added third period markers to give their Cougars their fourth win in five games against the Blazers this season.
Tommy Lafrenière, 17, made his WHL for the Blazers Friday night. An eighth round pick of the Blazers in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, Lafrenière, has 54 points (26 goals and 28 assist) in 29 games with the Yale Hockey Academy’s U18 Prep team this season.
Take a lap, @TommyLafrenier2. 👏
Welcome to @TheWHL! pic.twitter.com/NoVpUSNiOM
— Kamloops Blazers (@blazerhockey) February 24, 2024
Jesse Sanche, the hero of last Saturday’s Blazers’ win turned aside 34 of 39 shots in a losing effort Friday. His counterpart Ty Young stopped 32 of 33 to pick up the win for the Cougars.
The Blazers drop to 18-32-3-2 and sit in 10th place in the Western Conference. The Cougars improve to 39-15-0-3, and are one point away from clinching just the second B.C. Division title in franchise history.
The Blazers head down the Coquihalla for a pair of weekend games, in Langley against the Vancouver Giants on Saturday, and in Kent. Wash. against the Seattle Thunderbirds on Sunday,.
Their next home game will be on Wednesday, Feb. 28, when the Spokane Chiefs stop by Sandman Centre.
