It took them some time to locate their legs. Once they did, the Cariboo Cougars skated past the Valley West Hawks.
Friday night, in front of about 400 fans at Kin 1, the Cougars beat the Hawks 5-3 in the first game of a best-of-three semifinal playoff series in the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League. The Cougars started slowly and nervously but got more comfortable as the game progressed. Early in the third period, while clinging to a 3-2 lead, Chase Witala fired a pair of goals that stood up as the difference.
Witala, a 15-year-old draft pick of the WHL's Prince George Cougars, scored what turned out to be the game-winner at the 4:37 mark of the third. Witala stepped out from behind the goal line and looked like he was going to make a pass out to the point. Instead, he shifted his weight and zipped a backhander past Valley West goaltender Steven Myland. About four minutes later, Witala struck again. This time, he managed to squeeze a short rebound past Myland, who couldn't quite close off a gap at his post.
Later in the period, Kyle Becker replied for the Hawks but they got no closer.
The Hawks outshot the Cougars 36-27 but Cariboo goalie Jared Rathjen was up to the test, especially in the first period when his team was outshot 14-5.
The teams were tied 1-1 after the first and the Cats were up 3-2 after the second.
In the middle frame, the Hawks moved into a 2-1 lead when Greg Howard found some daylight in the high slot and took a pass out of the corner. Howard one-timed the feed and his bullet snap shot hit the top corner of the net before Rathjen could react.
The Cougars got the tying goal from Tanner Fjellstrom -- his second of the game -- when he finished off a passing play while parked at the left post. The Cats jumped into a 3-2 lead with just one second left in the period. On the momentum-changing play, defenceman Colton Manning snuck down from his spot on the blueline and was spotted by Seb Lloyd. From the left side of the Valley West cage, Manning released the puck as soon as he got it and beat Myland high.
The Cougars were fortunate to come out of the first period in the 1-1 tie. They were outplayed by the Hawks, who scored the opening goal just 52 seconds into the contest. Defenceman Austin Adam pulled the trigger after pressure inside the Cariboo blueline. The Cougars got the equalizer at 7:50 when Fjellstrom scored low off a setup from Tyson Witala.
The teams will be back on K in 1 ice tonight at 8:15. If a third and deciding game is required, it will start Sunday at 3 p.m.
The other semifinal series features the Vancouver Northwest Giants and Greater Vancouver Canadians. The eventual playoff champion will skate against the Alberta winner in a regional playoff series, which will determine the Pacific representative in the Telus Cup national midget championship, April 18-24 in St. John's, Nfld.
n Cougars forward Sam Brennan had to be helped off the ice after he was taken heavily into the boards in the waning moments of the third period. His status for tonight's game is uncertain.
