When Team B.C. takes to the ice at CN Centre for the 2015 Canada Winter Games in February, it'll feature a pair of players who know their way around the rink.
Goalie Dorrin Luding and forward Justin Almeida of the Cariboo Cougars were named to the male under-16 B.C. team on Tuesday. The Cougars are in first place in the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League with a 17-2-1 record.
"There's a little northern flavour to the team," said Cariboo Cougars general manager and co-coach Trevor Sprague. "They're guys who like to play in big games. They both won gold at provincials [the 2014 bantam Tier 1 title for the North Shore Winter Club] and they'll be comfortable in their own surroundings at CN Centre."
Luding and Almeida follow in the footsteps of former Cariboo Cougars Brett Harris and Josh Connolly, who helped Team B.C. win gold at the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax.
"They represented us very well [in Nova Scotia] and now Luding and Almeida have some big shoes to fill," Sprague said. "The high performance system with Team B.C. is about winning gold. That's the message every year."
Luding, 15, posted his first shutout of his MML career on Nov. 28 against the Okanagan Rockets with a 3-0 victory.
Luding and goaltending partner Griffen Outhouse are tied atop the MML netminder rankings with 2.00 goals-against averages. In 10 games between the pipes so far this season, Luding has posted a record of 8-1-1.
Almeida, who was selected in the first round of the 2014 WHL bantam draft by the Prince George Cougars, has collected 12 goals and 13 assists.
B.C.'s 2015 Canada Winter Games team is led by head coach Jim Dinwoodie, who serves in the same role with the bantam Tier 1 North Shore Winter Club from North Vancouver.
