The Cariboo Cougars skated to a tie and a win in road games against the Vancouver Northeast Chiefs last weekend.
On the ice in Burnaby, the teams ended in a 5-5 deadlock on Saturday. In a Sunday rematch, the Cats prevailed 2-0. It was the second weekend of the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League season and saw the 15- to 17-year-old Cougars duplicate their results from opening weekend when they tied and then beat the visiting Valley West Giants. With their 2-0-2 record, the Cats find themselves in a four-way tie at the top of the standings. Three other teams - the Greater Vancouver Canadians, Vancouver Northwest Hawks and Okanagan Rockets - sit at 3-1-0.
In Saturday's game, the Cougars took a 5-4 lead with 7:17 left in regulation time but the Chiefs got the equalizer with 2:22 to go. Offensively, Alex Ochitwa paced the Cats with a pair of goals, while John Herrington had a goal and an assist and Curtis Hammond had two helpers. Colton Phillips-Watts was the goaltender of record for the Cariboo club.
On Sunday, Xavier Cannon was flawless in the Cougars net with his first shutout of the season. Both Cariboo goals - by Booker Daniel and Brendan Pigeon - came in the second period.
This weekend, the Cougars will be in Abbotsford, where all the BCHMML teams will gather for the league showcase event. The Cats will face the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds on Saturday and again on the holiday Monday. As for the new minor midget Cougars, they will begin their inaugural season this weekend. The Cats will play a tripleheader in Coquitlam against the Northeast Chiefs, with games set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
