Prince George Cougars — Penticton Vees: 4:1, WHL

Prince George Cougars opened their WHL campaign with a 4:1 victory over Penticton Vees on Friday evening. The hosts took control early and never looked back, ending a run of poor results against their visitors from the spring.

It is hard to read much into a table where both sides have zero games, zero wins, zero points. But the Cougars have been struggling lately — three losses in four games, including a 1:2 and 3:4 against Kamloops and a heavy 1:8 and 0:6 defeat to Edmonton. This was a different story.

We had tipped the visitors, offering a 44 per cent confidence on Penticton to win. The match had other ideas. The Cougars simply played with more urgency, and the Vees could not find their rhythm. By then the game was out of reach.

The result extends a clean sheet for Prince George — something they have not managed since those Edmonton games. For Penticton, it breaks a run of mixed results, including a 6:1 win over Kelowna but also a 1:6 loss to the same side.

Seventh place and twelfth place mean nothing when the season has barely begun. What matters is the direction. The Cougars are moving forward; the Vees will need to regroup.