Every game will be tough.
The Northland Dodge Cougars are well aware of that fact. Nonetheless, they're happy with their schedule for the Mac's AAA Midget Hockey Tournament.
The Cougars will skate in the 15-team female division at the Mac's, which starts Dec. 26 in Calgary. The schedule for the prestigious event was released on Wednesday and has the Cougars playing the Winnipeg Ice in their opener. The Cats will also clash with the Calgary Flyers (Dec. 27) and Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats (Dec. 29) before a Dec. 30 tilt against the defending-champion Edmonton Thunder.
In the opinion of Cougars coach Stewart Malgunas, tournament organizers couldn't have produced a better scenario for the team.
"I think it's as good as it can be," he said. "We play Winnipeg, Calgary and Swift Current before we play the Edmonton Thunder, which is a top team in the tournament. So if we can build some confidence with those [first three] games and then take [the Thunder] on when we're running on all cylinders, anything can happen.
"Every team is good at the Mac's but it's not like we're playing the top team right off the hop," he added. "If you lose that first game, realistically your chances [of making playoffs] are pretty slim."
The 15 teams will be divided into three pools and only the top club in each pool is guaranteed a playoff spot. The fourth playoff position will go to the team with the next-best record.
The Thunder is one of the pre-tournament favourites.
"They were one of the top teams in Canada last year and, this year, they have a lot of returning players," Malgunas said. "They have girls that are lighting it up, girls that are going to be going to the NCAA and Canadian college [programs] next year. They've got some girls on the radar for even Team Canada. But that's why we go to tournaments like that -- to see where our girls fit in. We've got some really good young players, too."
In the B.C. Hockey Female Midget AAA League, the Cougars have a 7-4-5 record. In a league game last weekend, they held the first-place team, the Fraser Valley Phantom, to a 1-1 tie.
The Cougars attended the Mac's last year and went winless. With several returning players in uniform this year -- and their success against the Phantom -- they are full of confidence as they prepare for their trip east.
"It was a real eye-opener for us [last year]," Malgunas said. "Our team is that much older this year and that much more experienced so we're definitely hoping for a better result."
The Cougars are formed mostly by 15- and 16-year-olds. They have one 17-year-old on their roster, Tessa Hare of Williams Lake.
Cariboo Cats have work cut out for them
The Cariboo Cougars will compete in the 25-team male division at the Mac's and the schedule-maker did them no favours.
In their first game, on Dec. 27, the Cats will take on the Notre Dame Argos, the first-place team in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA League with a 21-4-2 record.
The other round-robin opponents for the Cougars are the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs (Dec. 28), Okanagan Rockets (Dec. 29) and Calgary Flames (Dec. 30). The Chiefs, at 13-4-4, are third in their division in the Alberta Midget AAA League, while the Rockets (20-3-1) are the top club in the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League.
As for the Flames, they haven't had the same level of success. In the Alberta league, they're sixth in their division with a record of 5-12-6.
In the BCMML, the Cougars hold down seventh spot at 9-13-2.
