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Taming Giants next test for Cariboo Cougars

If you base a prediction for this weekend's Cariboo Cougars-Vancouver Northwest Giants playoff series on what happened the last time the two teams faced each other, this has all the makings of a blowout.
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If you base a prediction for this weekend's Cariboo Cougars-Vancouver Northwest Giants playoff series on what happened the last time the two teams faced each other, this has all the makings of a blowout.

The Cougars whaled on the Giants, 8-2 and 8-1, in a two-game B.C. Hockey Major Midget League series Feb. 25-26 in Squamish.

That came three months after the Cougars beat the Giants 3-2 and 6-4, Nov. 26-27 at Kin 1.

But as the Okanagan Rockets learned last weekend, what happened in the regular season doesn't matter one iota in the playoffs. The sixth-place Giants swept the third-place Rockets in two games in Kelowna, beating them 5-4 and 5-1.

That serves as a reminder to the Cougars, who finished first in the standings with a 34-5-1-0 record, that the Giants (20-15-4-1) are totally capable of winning the best-of-three semifinal series, which starts today at 3:15 at Kin 1.

"We don't think their record is relevant to the way that team plays and we were really keying on that when we played them in Squamish," said Cougars assistant coach Tyler Brough.

"The boys responded with two big wins, but as good those wins are, going into playoffs we have to wipe them out of our minds and reset and do the things that make us successful against a team like the Giants. Their record is underwhelming, they're a better team than that. They're gong to be coming in ready and they have something to prove against us after the Squamish weekend."

The Cougars will be paying close attention to Giants forward Liam Kindree, a North Vancouver native who collected 28 goals and 39 assists for 67 points in 40 games to finish tied with Cougars Daine Dubois for the league scoring crown.

The Giants' blueline features Trevor Longo, one of the league's highest-scoring defencemen with 11 goals and 37 points, and Prince George Cougars WHL prospect Cole Moberg, a tough stay-at-home type with a good shot who struck for eight goals and 13 points in 20 games.

"They've got some firepower up front, for sure, and we know when Kindree's on we have to have the right guys against him," said Brough.

"Of course Moberg on the back end is the anchor for them - he plays a lot of minutes and plays a heavy game and we key on him with our forecheck to make sure his life isn't comfortable and try and turn pucks over as much as we can."

Riley Krane will be back with the midget Cats after getting called up to the WHL's Regina Pats as an injury replacement. Krane, who turned 17 on Jan. 24, scored his first WHL goal a week ago Wednesday and it was the winner in a 4-2 victory over Swift Current. In 27 games with the Cougars, the five-foot-11, 187-pounder from Dawson Creek has eight goals 10 assists and 76 penalty minutes.

He'll be playing left wing on a line with Ty Kolle and Myles Mattilla.

"Hopefully he brings back some good winning experience from Regina," said Brough. "It's good to have him involved with a team that clinched first in the Western League and has 50 wins."

Marcus Allen will get the start in net for the Cougars today.

The other BCHMML semifinal series also starts today, in Coquitlam and features the second-seeded Vancouver Northeast Chiefs (32-5-0-3) at home against the fourth-ranked Greater Vancouver Canadians (22-13-2-0). The Chiefs dispatched the Valley West Hawks in a two-game series last weekend, while the Canadians swept the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds.

The two semifinal winners meet next weekend for the league championship, also a best-of-three series, hosted by the team with the better regular-season record.