The Cougars seven-game winning streak came to and end Sunday afternoon in Boissevain before a big crowd with a 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Thrashers.
The Cats picked up win number 14 on Saturday night with a 5-0 win in Central Plains. The weekend action slipped the Cougars back to a sixth place tie with Eastman at 31 points. The Cougars have four games in-hand, moving into December.
Saturday afternoon in Portage, Callum Fortin opened the scoring with two minutes left in the first when Cory King and Hunter Andrew sent him home free and he wired a shot past Rhett Boschman to open the scoring.
The teams played even in the second as both teams failed to find the back of the net.
The Cougars finally turned the switch on and four unanswered goals gave them the win. Rylan and Cody Gudnason hooked up early in the third. Austin Clyne slipped a point shot past Boschman from Braeden Lewis and Matthew Ramsey.
Andrew buried the puck from Rylan Gudnason and Jordan Boyechko. The Cougars finished the scoring when Tyson Pringle hooked up with Gudnason and Trevor Hunt.
The Cougars fired 40 shots on the Capitals’ net while Caden Wilson was steady in net, turning aside 27 shots for the shutout.
The Cougars had a quick turn around and turned up in Boissevain. Hometown boys, Austin and Tanner Clyne along with Tyson Pringle were buzzing playing at home.
The Cougars opened the scoring as Fortin broke loose and made no mistake with Andrew and King in on the play. The goal was a replay of the opening goal in Portage the night before. The Cougars turned the puck over with the man advantage; the Thrashers pounced on a loose puck, burying it to even the score.
The second period saw the Thrashers open up a two-goal lead, outplaying the Cougars in the period. Fortin slipped the puck under Cole Plowman to get the Cougars within one, with help from Wallace and Andrew.
But, the Cougars shot themselves in the foot when they gave up the second short-handed goal of the afternoon and the Thrashers went up 4-2.
The Cougars controlled the third, outplaying and outshooting the visitors 17-2.
Andrew buried the biscuit from the left faceoff circle when he hooked up with Fortin and Jordan to make it 4-3. The Cougars could get no closer as they dominated the play, firing 41 shots at the Thrashers net. Randy Cooke faced 18 shots in the Cougar net.
The Cougars host Kenora Saturday night. Sunday afternoon the first-place Winnipeg Wild pay a visit, and the Parkland Rangers play a make-up game on Wednesday, Dec. 12.
