It was a rough weekend in Burnaby for the Prince George Western Industrial Contractors bantam female Cougars.
The Cougars were unable to produce a victory at the annual Hayley Wickenheiser tournament, going 0-4. Despite returning home winless the Cougars battled hard in three of the four games but just couldn't get the timely bounces.
Prince George dropped a 2-0 decision to Surrey in their opening game Friday when two bad bounces fooled Cougars goaltender Avery Quiring. The 14-year-old wasn't fazed and shut the pads the rest of the way earning player of the game honours.
In there second game Saturday, the Cougars delivered a sleepy morning effort falling 4-1 to a team from Airdrie, Alta. Talia Nahulak scored the Cougars goal while Olivia Johnson and Quiring shared goaltending duties. Kate Arnold was player of the game.
The second game on Saturday saw a much better effort from the Cougars as they dropped a 3-1 decision to the North Shore Avalanche. After a scoreless first period, North Shore took a 1-0 lead early in the second frame but a power-play goal from Amanda Hanley tied the game at 1-1 for the Cougars.
But a giveaway in their own zone cost the Cougars a short time later and the Avalanche capitalized to take a 2-1 lead. The Cougars had many chances to get the tying goal but North Shore assured themselves of the win when they scored into the empty net with 39 seconds left.
Quiring played in goal for the Cougars against North Shore while Mya Ziemer received player of the game honours.
In their final game of the tournament Sunday the Cougars met the Richmond Ravens - one of the top teams in British Columbia - falling 2-0. The Ravens scored early for the 1-0 lead, spending the rest of the game protecting their advantage. Richmond scored their second goal with under two minutes to play. Johnson played in net for the Cougars.
The bantam female Cougars will be working on producing more offence when they host a tournament, Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, at the Kin Centre Arenas.
