A prairie blizzard hit southern Saskatchewan Sunday afternoon but Mario Desjardins, head coach of the Northland Dodge Northern Cougars, found a safe haven to avoid the winter blast.
He was on Cloud 9 reflecting on the performance of his female triple-A midget hockey team at the Mandi Schwartz Memorial tournament in Wilcox, Sask.
The Cougars wrapped up a successful weekend with a fifth-place finish with a 2-1 win Sunday over the Balmoral Hall Blazers, an academy team from Winnipeg. The Prince George-based Cougars went 4-1-1 in the 20-team tournament.
"It's a huge confidence-booster," said Cougars head coach Mario Desjardins. "You really don't know how you measure up until you play some of the teams you may meet later on if you get past the B.C. provincials."
Cougar forward Madison Fjellstorm tied Sunday's game with a goal late in the second period and winger Marissa Nichol scored the winner on a breakaway with 1:50 left in the game.
"We got a little outplayed in the first period but the girls bounced back once they realized if they play their game they can play with this team," said Desjardins. "Kelsey Roberts was outstanding in net. She made some big stops not only in the final minute but throughout the game to keep it close."
Shots were 32-24 for the Titans.
The Cougars defeated the Shaftsbury Titans of Manitoba 4-2 in a playoff Saturday. The Titans, who won the 60-team Stony Creek (Ont.) tournament in September, are considered one of the top female midget teams in Canada.
The Cougars penalty-killers were busy throughout that game. Down 3-1 in the third period, the Titans went on a 5-on-3 power play and pulled the goalie to create a 6-on-3 advantage but Roberts was outstanding in keeping the lead intact. The Titans pulled to within a goal on a penalty shot when Grace Barlow got caught closing her hand on the puck in the crease with four minutes left but that's as close as it got. Chantelle Beadman-Rolph relieved the pressure in the dying seconds with an empty-net goal. Victoria Byer, Hunter Mosher and Barlow also scored for the Cougars.
Their only loss was a 1-0 defeat handed out by the Pembina Valley Hawks, the top-ranked Manitoba team. In other results, the Cougars tied the Weyburn Goldwings 1-1, beat the host Notre Dame Hounds 4-3 (Nichol scored twice, including the winner) and skated to a 7-2 win over the Southeast (Alberta) Tigers.
Their strong tournament showing bodes well for the Cougars, who will represent northern B.C. at the Mac's midget tournament in Calgary, which starts Dec. 26. The Cougars (18-3-0, first in the B.C. Triple-A Midget League) play their last home games of the season this weekend when they host the Vancouver Island Hurricanes at Kin 1 in a three-game series at Kin 1.
"All six games we played here were at a high level, high pace, and I think it will bring our girls to that next level we need to get to," said Desjardins. "There are teams here like Shaftsbury, Red Deer and Swift Current who will be at the Esso Cup (national championship) and the Mac's tournament and there's no question we're right there."
Cougars left winger Ava Keis, a 17-year-old native of Quesnel, has signed a scholarship agreement to attend Nipissing University in Thunder Bay, Ont., next season. Keis has 13 goals and 32 points in 21 league games and is tied with Sage Desjardins as the Cougars' leading scorer. Defenceman Chantellle Beadman-Rolph of Williams Lake is close to working out scholarship terms with a Manitoba University.
In Sunday's final, the Warrner Warriors of Alberta, who currently lead the WJHL North Division, downed Pembina Valley 4-1.
