Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/640596
F or decades, the Western Hockey League (WHL) has offered fans affordable, exciting, and family-friendly entertainment – and it's only getting better. Nearly 150 WHL graduates cracked opening-night NHL rosters this season. For a snapshot of why today is the time to see the stars of tomorrow, check out Prince George. Angie Jones is cheering wildly. That's appropriate, as she's sporting a T-shirt that says "Together We Roar." The extroverted mother is a 26-year Royal Bank employee, but tonight she's relishing her alternate identity: Prince George Cougars super-fan. The clock counts down as her team scores another win at the 5,967-capacity CN Centre. Yet that's just the tip of the iceberg. When Jones heads home with her husband Mark and two daughters, they'll be responsible for the care and feeding of two teenage boys. Not her sons, but they might as well be. For the tenth straight season, this founding member of the Cougars fan club is a billet mom. This year, she's housing two 17-year-olds: Dutch- born rookie Bartek Bison and third-year winger Kody McDonald. That's a lot of pre-game chicken and pasta, but it's worth it. "This is how I give back," says Jones. "They leave their families and friends just for that chance to make the NHL. It's important the community stands behind them." The club is enjoying a renaissance branded "The New Ice Age" – since local investors, including longtime NHL stars and former Cougars Dan Hamhuis and Eric Brewer, bought the team in 2014. Jones loves the revamped logo, the new $200,000 laser-light show, and the "Fanboni". Yet she takes it further, following the team on road trips. She's made the eight-hour drive to Kelowna to catch a tilt versus the Rockets. She describes a Kamloops bus trip with 30 fans that she couldn't make: "Before they left, [VP Business] Andy Beesley from the Cougars showed up with doughnuts and noisemakers. I listened to the game on the radio, and when the Cougars scored, I could actually hear them cheering." Wherever the Cougars go, Jones is happy to follow. "They're playing good hockey and it's fun to watch." "Our new partnership gives even more BCAA Members the opportunity to cheer on their favourite WHL team and experience the world's finest junior hockey league," says WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. n – Lucas Aykroyd destinations neighbourhood down as her team scores another win at the 5,967-capacity CN Centre. Yet that's just the tip of the iceberg. When Jones heads home with her husband Mark and two daughters, they'll be responsible for the care and feeding of two teenage boys. Not her sons, but they might as well be. For the tenth straight season, this founding member of the Cougars fan club is a billet mom. This year, she's housing two 17-year-olds: Dutch- born rookie Bartek Bison and third-year winger Kody McDonald. That's a lot of pre-game chicken and 22 bca a .com spring 2016 Prince George cougars WHL Hockey Team, (angie) brett cullen (top, far left) prince george Cougars at Cn Centre; (left) Angie (pictured top left) and family; (bottom) The Cougars'mascot and mini-fans MEMBERS SAVE As part of a new three-year partnership between BCAA and the WHL, BCAA Members are guaranteed 30% off regular- priced, single-game tickets throughout the regular season. For more info visit: bcaa.com/ WHL Prince George's Passion for Pucks The cougars win back hockey fans in northern bc