Capitals prospect Terik Parascak was the overtime playoff hero for the WHL’s Prince George Cougars on Friday night. The 18-year-old winger scored his second goal of the game to down the Portland Winterhawks 6:40 into the extra frame, giving the Cougars a dramatic 7-6 victory in Game 1 of their first-round series.
The Cougars were down 5-2 to start the third period but scored five of the last six goals in the game to take the series lead. Parascak’s game-winner came on a rush chance that bounced off goaltender Ondrej Stebetak’s pad and in.
The referees initially waved off the goal due to Portland’s net coming off its pegs before the puck slid in. After review, it was determined that Stebetak was the one who dislodged his own net and that the puck would have gone in had he not done so, thus giving Parascak the goal and ending the game.
Parascak scored his first goal of the game 7:09 into the third period. Linemate Borya Valis found the 2024 first-round draft pick camped out in front of Portland’s net, and Parascak made no mistake with the finish.
Parascak also chipped in a beautiful assist on Bauer Dumanski’s third-period goal. The Alberta native put the puck between his legs to get around a Winterhawks defender, made a power move to the net, and stuck with the play despite losing control in front of the net.
Parascak finished his second season in the WHL with 82 points (28g, 54a) in 59 games. He entered the postseason as Prince George’s second-leading scorer.
The Cougars finished fourth in the Western Conference, one place ahead of the Winterhawks. Game 2 between the two teams is set for Saturday night in Prince George.
