'Let's go Cougars!': Record-setting season has long-suffering Prince George hockey fans believing again

On a Saturday night at the CN Centre, Jessica Speziale sings the national anthem at the final Prince George Cougars game of the regular season.

The Western Hockey League team's 2017 B.C. Division champions banner is the only one hanging in the rafters after 30 years in the city of roughly 77,000 people.

After the first few lines of O Canada, Speziale points the mic toward the stands, letting the sell-out crowd of 6,000 complete the song before erupting into cheers.

"Insane," is how Speziale, who also serves as the team's in-arena host, describes the moment during the team's regular season finale. "The fans, we were all together ... and that's mind-boggling."

It was also something for longtime fans to savour. After years of struggles that had some questioning the team's future in the city, the Cougars won their first WHL Western Conference title and are entering the post-season as the top-rated team in the Canadian Hockey League.

Now, the only question is: How far can they go from here?

The Cougars play in the Western Hockey League, one of three major junior leagues that make up the Canadian Hockey League.

They were founded in 1971 as the Victoria Cougars before moving north to Prince George in the 1994-95 season. 

Five hundred kilometres by air and nearly 800 kilometres by road north of Vancouver, the Cougars are the northernmost and most remote team in the CHL. In a recent podcast interview, Cougars alum and Stanley Cup champion Zdeno Chara described his surprise at having to drive more than eight hours in order to play away games.

The team found early success in Prince George, making it to the division finals by their third season.

Fans responded with enthusiasm. Local newspapers published front page stories about