After almost two months of practice, the Northern Capitals can finally see the light - a hockey game.
The triple-A midget female squad begins defence of its provincial title on Oct. 2 in Surrey. That's when the Prince George-based Capitals face off against the Kootenay Wild three times at the B.C. Triple-A Midget Hockey League showcase that kick-starts the regular season.
Capitals head coach Mario Desjardins and his staff selected the team after an evaluation camp in early August.
Since then, it's been practice, practice and more practice.
"So far, so good," said Desjardins. "We've had quite a few practices that were up-tempo and they're working hard. It's tough to gauge where we're at until the start of the season. (The showcase) will also give us a chance to scout the rest of the teams and really see where we're at."
The Capitals were known as the Cougars when they captured the 2015 B.C. championship, only dropping three of 30 regular-season games.
Eleven players from that squad are back to take a run at another title.
"We lost some pretty good players who are now off at college and university," said Desjardins. "We've got nine girls who are '98s (17-year-olds) and that's the oldest we've ever been. We have a lot of speed and good skill. We want to have a good transition game, which they've worked hard on, and be responsible in our own end.
"It'll be interesting seeing at game-time how we respond. We've got really good goaltending and defence. We also have a lot of experience and leadership on the team."
Following the league's showcase in Surrey, the Capitals travel to Vernon on Oct. 9 for three games against the Thompson Okanagan Lakers.
The Capitals' home-opener is Oct. 23 against the Greater Vancouver Comets.
LOOSE PUCKS: Capitals forward Hunter Mosher is at the final provincial U-18 high performance team camp this weekend at UBC with 27 other players. She's vying for a spot on the team that will compete in the 2015 national women's U-18 championship in Huntsville, Ont. from Nov. 5-8.
