Cougars playing it close at home

There are no guarantees in the Western Hockey League but it might not be a bad idea to assume the Prince George Cougars and Kelowna Rockets will play close games Friday and Saturday at the CN Centre.

After all, the first four games on the Cougars’ current six-game homestand have all been decided by one goal, with three of them needing overtime or a shootout to decide.

The bad news for the Cougars? They’ve lost three of the four, including the only one that didn’t go extra time.

Last weekend, the Cougars and Calgary Hitmen exchanged 4-3 wins, with both coming in shootouts.

Midweek, the Cougars lost 6-5 to the Vancouver Giants in a game that ended after 60 minutes, then dropped a 3-2 decision Wednesday to the Giants in an overtime thriller.

David Soltes returned to the Cougars lineup against the Giants, and scored a goal in each game. That leaves Jari Erricson as the only Prince George player still injured.

Chase Witala had nine points in the last four games, but was kept from scoring a goal in Wednesday’s game, breaking his streak at six games.

The games against the Rockets will start at 7 p.m. both tonight and Saturday at the CN Centre.