A slow start, a lack of discipline, too many off-target shots and a hot Dawson Creek Canucks goalie doomed the chances of the Premium Truck & Trailer peewee Tier 2 Cougars winning their home tournament.
The wheels started falling off the Cougar cart just 18 seconds into Sunday's Up the Creek Garment Company tournament final when Dawson Creek right winger Hayden Smith scored the first of his three goals, converting a 2-on-1 break with linemate Wyatt Sorken.
The Canucks kept the pedal down and never let up, even in the dying seconds, spanking the Cougars 8-3.
After goalie Carson Briere backstopped the Cougars to a 3-1 win over Terrace Sunday morning to guarantee a shot at the trophy, Cougar goalie Jasper Tait drew the start in the final at Kin 2 and he was under siege right away. Already down by a goal, Tait allowed a weak fluttering shot from Auzyn Corr to trickle in under his glove with less than four minutes gone and the Cougars suddenly trailed 2-0.
Cougars forward Jacob Ross cut the lead in half before the first intermission and Zach Fillion tipped in a Zachary Leslie shot to knot the score 2-2, six minutes into the second period. That's when the penalty parade began for the Cougars. They took six minors in the middle frame as compared to the Canucks' two. That resulted in one Dawson Creek power-play goal and with so much time spent on the penalty kill, the Cougars' offence stagnated.
"We just didn't come mentally prepared today, we weren't ready," said Ross, the 12-year-old Cougars captain. "Penalties killed us. We just have to learn how to stay disciplined. We were looking forward to this, playing at home in front of our friends and families. Everyone has a bad game but today was just the worst time to have it. They have a good goalie and good hockey club over there."
They also have a terrific right winger in Smith, who has bigger-than-average size and is blessed with great speed and a wicked shot. He was dangerous all game and gave the Canucks the lead again 17 seconds after Fillion's goal.
Later on in the middle period, Deegan Koenig stood in front of the net for a power-play tip-in to put the visitors ahead 4-2 and they never looked back, pounding four more pucks in behind Tait. Smith, Corr, Layton Feist, and Ethan Howell (into an empty net) all scored in the third period. Amar Powar collected the third Cougars' goal.
"We didn't quit," said Canucks defenceman Jordan LaGreca, 11. "The first two games we played not as good as we could and the last game we played was really good."
Owen Taylor was solid in net for the Canucks, especially in the first period when the Cougars unleashed most of their dangerous chances.
"(The Cougars are) a good team and we wanted to get out to an early lead and the kids came out and worked hard - it was a good battle the whole game," said Canucks head coach Ryan Feist. "Owen had a great game in net."
The Canucks lost 7-4 to the Cougars in the round-robin tournament Friday. In their only other meeting a few weeks ago at the Fort St. John, they defeated Prince George in the semifinal and went on to win the tournament.
Dawson Creek topped the shot clock by slimmest of margins, 37-36, but that doesn't include all the missed shots by Cougars in good scoring positions, especially in the third period. The young Cougars would be wise to work on their shooting accuracy over the Christmas holidays before they play their next games in Grande Prairie in early January.
"We had a great tournament, we beat everybody in there but we didn't play our best game today," said Gaboury.
"The kids are young and for a lot of them this is the first time they've played in a big tournament at home. Sometimes you try to do a little too much and it ends up backfiring on you and I think that's what happened today. Their goalie made some big saves early on to keep them in it."
