Washington Capitals prospect Zac Funk and the rest of the Prince George Cougars are moving on to the WHL Western Conference Championship playoff round.
Funk helped power the Cougars through a series victory over the Kelowna Rockets by notching his ninth hat trick of the season in the team’s 6-3 clinching win on Friday night. In the process, he ended fellow Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall’s season as Kelowna lasted just five games in the second-round matchup.
The 20-year-old struck for his first goal eight minutes into the opening frame with the Cougars on a power play. After receiving a pass from Riley Heidt at the side of the net, Funk spun out towards the slot and jammed the puck behind goaltender Jari Kykkanen.
He followed that up with a net-side deflection halfway through the second period. His first two tallies gave the Cougars a one-goal lead when they were scored.
Funk struck for his hat trick in the dying seconds of the second, capping off a run of five unanswered goals from Prince George. With the Cougars on a five-on-three advantage, Funk was set up for a one-time opportunity by Terik Parascak.
Kykkanen made the first stop but Funk was first to pounce on the loose puck and jammed the rebound home.
Funk, named a finalist for WHL Player of the Year, exploded this season for a CHL-leading 67 goals in 68 games to go along with a career-best 56 assists. His 123 points ranked second in the league and he was one of just two players in Canada’s three major junior leagues to eclipse the 120-point mark. In nine playoff games for the Cougars, Funk has 15 points (7g, 8a).
He’ll now move on to play the Portland Winterhawks in the next round. The regular-season series between the two teams finished 2-2. Funk had seven points (4g, 3a) in the four games.
Cristall, who had two points (1g, 1a) of his own in the game, is now eligible to join up with either the Capitals or Bears for their postseason runs. The 2023 second-round draft selection finished his regular season with 111 points (40g, 71a) in 62 games. He chipped in an additional 15 points (4g, 11a) in 11 playoff games.
Funk will also be eligible to play a playoff black ace role with the Bears once his season is done given that Hershey has not yet been eliminated from the postseason.
