If you're going to beat one of the best, you might as well battle them right away.
That's the situation the Northern Cougars face this weekend at home to launch their female triple-A midget hockey season.
They face off against the Coquitlam-based West Coast Avalanche in a three-game series that begins Friday at Kin 2 (6:30 p.m.) and continues Saturday (12:15 p.m.) and Sunday (8:30 a.m.) at Kin 1.
The Cougars are coming off a pre-season weekend where they posted a 1-1 draw and a 4-3 win against triple-A rivals Thompson-Okanagan Lakers from Vernon and a 5-1 victory against the Kamloops Mystics Tier 1 squad.
"Vernon is a pretty young team, but they play a good solid game," said Cougars head coach Mario Desjardins. "Our team played quite well and we still have some things to work on but we worked hard. The Avalanche are returning from [a midget showcase tournament in] Stoney Creek, Ontario, where they went 3-2-1-1. This weekend will be a good gauge of where we're at.
"We're definitely looking forward to it, the girls are excited."
Last season, the Cats finished second in the six-team league with a 16-6-8 record, but lost 2-1 in a three-game semifinal series to the Kelowna-based Thompson-Okanagan Rockets (who are now the Lakers). Fraser Valley won the league title. The Cougars hope to claw back from that setback with a more veteran lineup of 18 girls that features only four rookies.
Those first-years include a pair of defencemen, Victoria Johnston and Kenna Lloyd, who toiled with the PG bantam female rep squad last season. Also shoring up the blueline is Casey Norris from Chetwynd, who played midget Tier 4 last season and also saw time with the Northern Cougars as an alternate player.
Joining veteran netminder Kelsey Roberts is Emilie Nichol from Lac La Hache.
Thirty-two girls tried out for the Northern Cougars at a camp in early August.
"It made the decision-making process more difficult since there was a lot of good talent, but through our evaluation system we're sure we picked the best team," said Desjardins adding last-season's playoff loss will help them in the long run. "The playoffs were a learning curve for the girls and sometimes I think you have to learn how to lose [before you can win].
"Our motto for this season is no excuses and no regrets and they will play relentless every game and compete. The girls are hungry for a championship."
The Northern Cougars will play 16 games at home this year, the most they've ever had.
They wrap up September with a road trip to Vernon to take on the Lakers Sept. 26-28.
