The Farr Fabricating Cougars moved into first place in the Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association thanks to a weekend sweep of the Thompson Blazers.
The bantam Tier 1 Cats won both games, played Saturday and Sunday at Kin 2, by 3-2 scores. With the results, the Cougars jumped to 5-2 in league play and the previously unbeaten Blazers slipped to 3-2.
In the first game of the doubleheader, the Cougars trailed 2-1 after two periods but battled back for the victory in the third. Landon Ingham scored the tying goal just 42 seconds into the final frame when he took advantage of a Blazers' turnover and found space behind the Thompson goalie. Half way through the period, Fisher O'Brien connected for the winner on a setup by Brennan Bott.
Carter Yarrish scored the other goal for the Cougars. His marker came on a first-period breakaway, made possible by a nice stretch pass from Matthew Magrath. Logan Stankoven tied the score on a Blazers power play and Thompson went ahead in the second period on a breakaway marker by Spencer Vaughan.
Goaltender Dawson Frankforth picked up the win for the 13- and 14-year-old Cougars, who outshot the Blazers 27-17.
On Sunday, Alex Ochitwa had the deciding goal in a tight contest. With 4:01 left in the third period, Ochitwa accepted a pass from Jackson Hassmann and slid the puck past Thompson goalie Bailey Monteith. The Blazers, on a goal by Stankoven, had tied the game 2-2 earlier in the third.
Yarrish of the Cougars scored the only goal of the first period and Talon Zakall of the Blazers replied with the lone marker of the second. Ingham, off a rebound, gave the Cats the lead just one minute into the third period.
Orry Currie was the winning goaltender.
Two weekends ago, also at home, the Cats beat the Central Okanagan Rockets 7-4 and 9-5. They opened their season with a 5-2 home win against the North Okanagan Vipers but then dropped 5-3 and 4-1 decisions.
The Cougars will play all their remaining OMAHA games on the road. Their next action is Dec. 3 in Vernon against the Vipers.
The Viking Construction peewee Tier 1 Cougars also skate in the OMAHA league. So far this season, the Cats have a 1-3 record. They fell 4-1 and 7-1 to Kamloops, lost 1-0 to Kelowna and then beat Kelowna 3-2. The next games for the Cats are Nov. 26-27 in Kamloops.
