Two victories.
That's all the Northland Dodge Northern Cougars need to be crowned champions of the B.C. Female Midget Triple-A Hockey League.
The Cougars swept the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers from the playoffs in two straight games Saturday at Kin 1, winning the semifinal series 2-1 and 2-0.
They will host the best-of-three championship series against the Fraser Valley Phantom with games Saturday at 8:45 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Kin 1. If needed, a third-and-deciding game will be played Sunday at 11:45 a.m. at Kin 2.
In the second game, coming off a one-goal loss earlier in the day, the Lakers came out looking like they might extend the series to the limit and had the Cougars pinned in their own zone for much of the opening 10 minutes, but had nothing to show for it.
"We started off slow but we knew we had to get it done this game so we didn't have to play a game (Sunday)," said Cougars centre Madison Fjellstrom. "After the first game I think we just thought we had it in the bag, we had too much confidence almost, and our shots weren't going in.
"We all worked hard and I think we showed a lot of heart."
The only goal in the first period came just before the intermission when Fjellstrom picked the puck out of a goalmouth scramble and tucked it through the legs of goalie Emma Gottfriedson.
The Cougars made it a 2-0 game when Jocelyn Forrest took the puck in the face-off circle and let go a shot that ticked off the stick of Lakers defenceman Nikita Payne before it landed in the net just under the crossbar.
"I just really wanted to win, I wasn't ready for my season to be over," said Gottfriedson. "They're a good team. They work hard and they're smart, and they're big. It was kind of hard to see around them when they were screening."
Despite being badly outshot, the Lakers had several good scoring chances in the third period. With eight minutes left, Riley Henderson chipped the puck off the side boards just as Cougar defenceman Victoria Byer lost her balance and that set up a 2-on-1 rush that was nicely broken up Victoria Johnson, who slid her body in front of Henderson's shot.
The Lakers pulled Gottfriedson for the extra attacker and with 49 seconds left Andie Kaneda had the puck on her stick in the slot and tried to jam it in but Roberts made the save to preserve a 14-save shutout, her fourth of the season.
"They came out strong the first 20 minutes and we came out flat and we were lucky to come out of there with a 1-0 lead," said Cougars head coach Mario Desjardins. "It's good they can put a bad period behind them and then come out for 40 minutes to take care of business. We're happy we came out with two wins and we're looking forward to next week. We've been working hard all year to be in this position for next weekend."
The Cougars came out flying in the first game but ran into a hot Lakers goalie and Gottfriedson kept it close, despite her team being outshot 45-12. Christy Blackburne put the Lakers ahead with the only goal of the first period, one of only three shots the Lakers could muster on goalie Kelsey Roberts, but the lead didn't last long. Marissa Nichol snuck a shot past Gottfriedson, 22 seconds into the second period, and Jayden Malgunas followed up in the third period with a shot from the point that found the net.
"We're a young team this year with 10 first-year midgets, so it's a rebuilding year for us," said Lakers coach Mark Henderson. "The Cougars went through it last year in the playoffs when the Rockets beat them in two games in the playoffs up here. Sometimes you have to lose to win and I think it's good lesson for a young team like ours. The thing I was proud of with our girls is they never quit, right up to the third period everybody worked hard."
Aggressive pressure on puck carriers and smart stick placements from the Cougar forwards and defencemen led to numerous shot blocks in both games. They've have been successful all season at limiting shots from opposing teams and with long breaks without any action that adds to the challenge of staying focused for Roberts and the Cougars other goalie, Emilie Nichols. It didn't bother Roberts on Saturday.
"My team made it easy for me to see the puck, keeping all the shots to the outside," she said.
"It's exciting going to the league championship, we're the first northern team to ever come that far. It's a big opportunity and we have to be ready for it."
The Cougars, who won the league regular season title with a 25-3-2 record, went 4-0-2 this season against the third-place Phantom (13-13-4). The Cats beat the Langley-based team three times in Prince George in October, outscoring the Phantom by a combined 13-5. But it was a close series in Langley in January. The Cougars won 3-2, then tied Fraser Valley 2-2 and 1-1.
