Cougars, Calamities and Classics: Cougars Pucks, Therrien Sucks and Gordon’s Luck

Cougars — Let’s talk about the Cougars men’s hockey team for awhile. The boys in blue and white have clinched a playoff spot sitting third in ACAC play with a record of 20-8.

Forward Josh Zimmer leads ACAC standings in points with 47 and goalie Jordan McLaughlin sits atop the ACAC standings for goaltenders with a GAA of 2.17, save percentage of 09.15 and a record of 8-2.

The ACAC Quarter Finals start Feb.20 at Briercrest.

Calamities – Smell ya later Therrien. With the trade deadline coming to a close soon it’s not only players that are getting shifted around, Pens head coach Michel Theirrien has also been given the boot.

He helped guide the Penguins to the Stanley Cup finals last year losing out to Detroit and had a hot start to this season but haven’t been so hot lately with a record of 4-5-1 in their last ten. The team is sitting 10th in the Eastern Conference, six points out of eight spot. Dan Bylsma will be taking over coaching duties for now.

“We need to put the brakes on – we’re in a hole, but we need to stop digging and get focused on what we need to do to play good hockey,” Bylsma told THE CANADIAN PRESS. “We need to be an aggressive group, and get focused on playing back to our strengths, and focus away from this situation the last while here.”

Therrien has been thanked for his “signifigant contributions” to the team.

Classics – The Nascar season kicked off yesterday with the Daytona 500. On this day 12 years ago Jeff Gordon became the youngest driver ever to take the flag at the race. Gordon took 13th in yesterdays race and has been winless in his last 42.