The Coast Inn of the North Cougars skated to a medal at provincials for the second year in a row.
The Cats, a midget Tier 1 rep team from the Prince George Minor Hockey Association, battled to bronze at their provincial championship tournament in Abbotsford. During the event, which ran Sunday to Wednesday, the Cougars compiled a 3-1-1 record.
Last year, the Cats were golden at the B.C. final.
The Cougars, who range from 15 to 17 in age, started defence of their title with a 10-2 win against Comox Valley. Next, they fell 4-1 to Kelowna, their season-long rival, but rebounded with a 2-0 decision against Abbotsford. The Cats then took to the ice against Langley and got a late third-period goal to salvage a 2-2 tie. In their last game, the Cougars dumped Cloverdale 7-3.
In the final, Kelowna edged Langley 2-1.
At the peewee Tier 1 provincials in Vancouver, the Viking Construction Cougars lost all five of their games. The Freightliner peewee Tier 2 Cougars were slightly more successful in Salmon Arm, where they posted a 1-3 record. The team's lone win came against Fort St. John, 6-3.
In Grand Forks, the Fortwood Homes peewee Tier 4 Cats finished at 0-6 but were given the Fair Play Award for team sportsmanship.
"It's been a great season and the kids tried hard -- there were some good teams here and those teams deserve a lot of credit," said Cougars head coach Denny Astorino.
"The kids grew up and improved through this rep hockey experience, which was the first for every one of them. It will be fun to watch them grow and continue to mature as hockey players."
At the bantam level, the Farr Fabricating Tier 1 Cats were in Cowichan Valley for their provincial tournament and secured victory in one of their five games. The Cougars beat the host team 4-2.
