Cougars-Winterhawks series shaping up to be WHL classic

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Teams are mirror images of each other and one has to crack in best-of-seven Western Conference final

For boxing fans it was one of the all-time best rivalries in sports, but they met in the ring just three times.

Both teams are well-rested and healthy and both are playing their best hockey of the season. The Cougars are 25-1-1-1 in their last 28 games, with the ’Hawks are on a 17-0-2-0 roll dating back to the regular season. “I thought the games when we were up there in February were really good well-played hockey games, obviously, 2-1, 2-1,” said Winterhawks head coach and general manager Mike Johnston. “There’s talent on both teams so I think it’s going to be like a couple of the NHL series right now, so tight you can never all it and I think it’s going to be one of those.

“You look at their high-end players, whether it’s Heidt, Parascak, Funk or Ziemmer, who would have been way up in the lineup points-wise if he’d played through the season, they’ve got some dangerous gamebreaker-type players that we’d better know when they’re on the ice and be aware of their tendencies.”

Jugnauth broke into the junior ranks in the BCHL with the West Kelowna Warriors then went to the University of Wisconsin for a 1 ½ seasons before Portland acquired his rights Dec. 6 from the Kamloops Blazers. Losing Davies would be a huge loss for the Winterhawks. He plays a gritty style and is not afraid to bowl people over to clear a path, similar in style to Cougars winger Koehn Ziemmer.

Zac Funk had a hat trick in the series-clincher and is up there with Heidt among the WHL playoff scoring leaders, playing the right side on a productive line that includes Becher and Borya Valis . “ a lot of high offensive skill power but I think we have a little more grit and I think we can match that skill power. If we just play them hard we can have the outcome we’re looking for.”

 

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