They gave the Thompson-Okanagan Rockets reason to be nervous. But, ultimately, the Bursey Buryn Cougars fell short in their bid for a playoff upset.
During the regular season in the B.C. Hockey Female Midget AAA League, the Rockets were at the top of the standings and the Cats were at the bottom. The clubs clashed in a best-of-three playoff semifinal series on the weekend in Rutland and the Rockets escaped with victory in the maximum number of games.
In Sunday's deciding contest, the Rockets edged the Cats 2-1. The first game ended 3-1 in favour of the Rockets and the Cougars bounced back with a 4-3 decision in Game 2.
"We definitely deserved a better fate than that but [the Rockets] had 18 more wins than us [this season]," said Cats head coach Jason Garneau. "I was just so happy and proud of the way the girls competed and battled."
The Rockets scored an empty-netter to secure the win in Friday's series-opener.
On Saturday, the Cougars got the winner with 13 seconds left on the clock when Robyn Murphy and Bethany Roy converted while on a 2-on-1 breakaway. Murphy took the original shot and Roy knocked the rebound home.
In the deciding game, the Rockets moved into a 2-0 lead in the second period. With the Cougars badly needing a goal, Taya Garneau delivered. Unfortunately, the Cats weren't able to strike for an equalizer in the third, a period in which they carried the play.
The Cougars upset the Vancouver Fusion in the first round of playoffs, while the Rockets had a bye to the semifinal round.
"We got a lot of compliments, both from the Vancouver Fusion coaches and parents and from the Rockets' coaching staff after the games, on how far we've come and how much we actually scared the Kelowna team," Jason Garneau said.
The Rockets will host the Kootenay Wildcats in the playoff championship series, which will start on Friday night in Rutland. The winner will meet the Alberta champion for the right to represent the Pacific region at nationals, April 17-23 in St. Albert, Alta.
