The first time they played the Abbotsford Ice, they deserved a better outcome. In a rematch, the WIC Cougars had redemption on their minds.
They got it. And it came wrapped in gold.
The Cougars, Prince George's bantam female rep hockey team, skated to a championship Thursday in the Lower Mainland. In the final of the Langley Angels on Ice tournament, they beat Abbotsford 3-0.
Earlier, in the round-robin portion of the event, the Cougars were in full control against Abbotsford but lost 2-1. In that contest, the Cats outshot their opponent 24-9.
"The girls were really looking forward to the rematch," said Cougars coach Don Knoop. "They really wanted another crack at them.
"(In the final) the girls kept the puck deep and used a strong forecheck. And our power play was outstanding, going 2-for-4. We had good traffic in front of the net and the girls were moving the puck really well."
Madison Fjellstrom scored two of the Prince George goals and Megan Hickey had the other. Meanwhile, none of the Abbotsford shooters could figure out how to beat Cougars goaltender Kourtney Trudeau.
The tournament title was the first of the season for the Cougars, formed by the city's top 13- and 14-year-old players.
To advance to the final, the Cougars won in dramatic fashion in the semifinal round. After regulation time and a five-minute extra session, they were locked in a 1-1 tie with the Mid Island Extreme. In the shootout that followed, the Cats got goals from Fjellstrom and Ava Keis, while only one Mid Island player solved P.G. goalie Avery Quiring. The shootout lasted seven rounds.
In that game, Kyrsten Franz scored the regulation-time goal for the Cougars.
The Cats finished the tournament with a 5-1 record. They started round-robin with a 2-1 win against the Extreme and then dropped that 2-1 decision to the Ice. Next, the Cougars topped the Tri-City Predators 3-0. Then, in their final preliminary contest, they dumped the Extreme 4-1.
Other Cougars players are Haley Reich, Kelsey Todd, Jayden Malgunas, Hannah Young, Melanie Hunter, Tanisha Hamilton, Kiana Wilkinson, Jasmine Funk, Kelly Shawara, Carla Goodwin and Sabrina Knoop.
"The girls have been outstanding as of late," Don Knoop said. "They're buying into a total team game, sticking strictly to the game plan and the results are showing. The team is starting to really gel."
The next tournament for the Cougars is Feb. 4-6 in Surrey. They'll use that event as a tune-up for provincials, set for March in Kelowna.
