Holding down third place in the B.C. Major Midget League as they head into the holiday season, the Cariboo Cougars will still get their share of ice time during the Christmas break, beginning with the fourth annual alumni hockey game this Friday evening.
This year's edition will feature a long list of blasts from the team's seven-year past, most of whom still lace on the skates even if it's only for the local recreation league, although there is a chance Yari Erickson, now with the Western Hockey League's Everett Silvertips, may be playing.
Even without Erickson in the lineup, let alone such grads as NHL rookies Brett Connolly and Brett Bulmer, it should be quite a show.
"Even if it's just a fun game and people are there to just kind of shake hands and pull all of the boys together again, nonetheless it's still intensely interesting hockey and the skill level is just off the charts," team manager Andy Beasley said.
The puck drops at 6 p.m. at Kin 1.
After that, the Cougars will be heading to Calgary for the prestigious Mac's tournament, which starts on Boxing Day, and where coach Trevor Sprague hopes to sort things out after the Cougars went into the break on a three-game losing skid.
"The Mac's tournament is probably the way we're going to get over the hump on actually competing," Sprague said.
"Every team there is one of the best Canada has to offer for midget teams so how are you going to show up and play and perform?"
The Mac's tournament will be a great experience either way, said Sprague.
"Especially for our young guys, our 15-year-olds get to learn a lot there, they get to figure out actually how good they are," Sprague said. "Sometimes you get humbled a little bit but some of our experienced players know how to go in there and what needs to be done and we've always had an above .500 record there so we'll see how it goes."
The Cougars held top spot in the B.C. Major Midget League until they followed up a 5-4 loss to the Fraser Valley Bruins in Chilliwack on Dec. 11 with 1-0 and 5-1 setbacks against the Vancouver North West Giants over this past weekend at Kin 1.
The Giants now sit in first place with a 15-3-5 won-lost-tied record, followed by the Vancouver North East Chiefs at 15-5-2 and then the Cougars at 14-7-3 for third place in the 11 team circuit.
If there is a bright spot, it's that there are still 17 games left in the regular season schedule.
"You don't win a championship in December," Sprague said. "Our guys learned a good lesson on work ethic on Sunday so we'll see if they're wanting to win a championship and work hard to get it."
