With the B.C. Major Midget League's playoff picture beginning to take shape, the Cariboo Cougars know they'll be playing a motivated opponent this weekend when they host the South Island Royals at CN Centre.
While the Cougars (14-16-2) look to improve on their current sixth-place standing, the Royals (10-20-4) enter the weekend tied with the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds for the eighth and final playoff spot.
"They're in a desperate situation, so we're going to playing a really desperate hockey team," Cougars head coach Bryan MacLean said. "If we're not going to match that desperation, we're going to have a hard time."
The Cougars and Royals split their two games in Victoria in November, but the home team is looking for maximum points this weekend as they try to chase down the fifth-place Greater Vancouver Canadians, who have a six-point edge coming into the weekend.
"If we want to get points out of these guys this weekend, it's going to be hard," MacLean said. "We're going to need to be ready to work for it."
MacLean said the key for the Cougars will to be to keep the Royals defence corps in check, anchored by Josh Anderson - a first round pick of the Prince George Cougars in the 2013 WHL bantam draft.
"They have big, strong defencemen and you have to be hard on them," the coach said. "For us that means getting pucks in deep, getting our feet moving and being physical."
The Cougars and Royals will play on Saturday at CN Centre at 1 p.m. and on Sunday at 10 a.m.
