The Integris Credit Union Cougars fell one win short of a B.C. banner.
The Cougars, Prince George's bantam Tier 2 rep hockey team, finished second at their provincial championship tournament, which wrapped up Wednesday in Fort St. John. In the championship game, the Cats lost 7-3 to the Juan de Fuca Grizzlies of Victoria. The Cats were outshot 61-19 and were held in the contest by outstanding play from goaltender Jeremy Matte.
In the semifinal round, Prince George beat Mission 5-3. In their other games, the 13- and 14-year-old Cougars lost 4-3 to Juan de Fuca, beat the Burnaby Winter Club 6-4 and downed Fort St. John 5-1.
At the bantam Tier 1 championship in Abbotsford, the Farr Fabricating Cougars finished with a 1-4 record. The Cats started off with a 4-3 loss to Cloverdale, fell 7-3 to Abbotsford and were then thumped 14-2 by the Burnaby Winter Club. Prince George rebounded with a 5-3 win against Nanaimo but lost its final game 6-4 to Kamloops. In the game for gold, Burnaby beat Abbotsford 6-3.
Meanwhile, at the midget Tier 1 provincials in Nanaimo, the Coast Inn of the North Cougars also settled for a 1-4 record. The Cougars fell 7-4 to Comox Valley, 5-3 to Nanaimo, 3-2 to Cloverdale and 5-0 to Surrey before they finally stepped into the win column in their last game. In that one, they defeated Kelowna 5-3. In the title game, Surrey trimmed Cloverdale 4-3.
In Kelowna, the WIC bantam female Cougars went 1-3-1 at provincials. They started by battling Kelowna to a 0-0 draw and then fell 5-4 to North Shore. Next, the Cats beat Cowichan Valley 4-2, a win that landed them in the playoff semifinals. There, the Cougars lost 6-0 to Richmond. The Cats then skated for bronze and dropped a 3-1 decision to Castlegar.
In the final, North Shore dumped Richmond 4-1.
