The Fraser Valley Hawks weren't anxious to leave town without a point and discovered a ray of optimism shining through big glass windows at Kin 1 in the late stages of their game against the Cariboo Cougars Sunday afternoon.
Trailing the Cougars 3-2 with 28 seconds left, the Hawks caught a break when Cats defenceman Kolten Carpenter was sent to the box for interference. The Hawks won the ensuing faceoff in the Cariboo end but Todd Bredo wasn't going to let that slide. He knocked bodies flying and hounded the puck like a wolverine chasing his next meal. The Hawks were powerless to stop him and were unable to muster a shot on goal as time ran out.
For Bredo, the Cougars' six-foot-two, 195-pound blueline leader, the tight-checking, hard-hitting efficiency he showed all game is just one of the strengths of a team that expects to challenge for the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League championship this season.
"There was definitely more bumping and grinding today and we managed to grind out a 3-2 win,"
said Bredo, whose Cougars beat the Hawks 7-4 Saturday night.
"I love taking the body and getting down to the dirty areas. Lots of guys don't like that but it's a part of my game I've adapted and I'm starting to enjoy it. We're definitely a different team than we were last year when we took our hits and this year we're hoping to go for it all."
Steven Jandric's shorthanded goal 17:50 into the second period stood as the gamewinner, a play set up by winger Darren Hards. Hards played the angle smartly to strip the puck away just inside the Hawks' blueline. Hards gained the puck behind the net and fed it out in front to Jandric, who darted across the crease and dumped a backhander into the open cage.
Colten Thomas scored twice for the Cougars, while Hards picked up three assists. Tyson Talhan and Jeffery Stewart were the Fraser Valley marksmen.
In Saturday's game, the Cougars scored five unanswered goals in the third period to notch their first win of the season, seizing the lead with three power-play goals within a two-minute span early in the period.
Jandric scored twice and Gray struck once with the man advantage and also added an even strength goal for his fourth point of the game. Bredo capped the scoring into an empty net. Jandric finished with three goals and two assists in his first game back since being released from the BCHL's Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
"[The Silverbacks] just told me I need to develop a little bit more and this is a great league to develop in and I'll have fun this year," said Jandric. "We are really strong, really fast. My linemates, Austin Gray and Justin Almeida, are really strong. I played with Austin back in bantam and I guess we have some chemistry from back then and we seemed to click."
Three of the Hawks four goals came on power plays. Stewart, Ian Ross, Spencer Berry and Luke Gingras, who also had two assists, accounted for the Hawks' offence.
"[On Saturday] we had a little adversity going into the third period and it was good to see a good response from the guys but today was a good solid 60 minutes and that's not a bad thing either," said Cougars assistant coach Bryan MacLean.
"It was a bit of surprise to get Steven back and he's been a good leader in the dressing room. He and Austin made a huge difference and today again he did a great job, playing fast and physical. It's a good development year for them to be the best players on their team and among the best in the league and they will get a lot of confidence this year before moving on to junior A. "
It was a tossup deciding which is the top scoring line for the Cougars. As good as the Jandric line was, Thomas, Hards and Chase Dubois looked equally proficient.
"We have a lot of depth up front this year and were pretty spoiled," said MacLean.
The Cougars travel to Richmond this weekend for a two-game set against the Vancouver Northeast Chiefs.
