The Coast Inn of the North Cougars were younger and smaller. Some of them were even fighting off flu bugs.
Despite these challenges, the Cougars skated past the Calgary Royals and claimed their second consecutive championship.
The Cougars, a midget Tier 1 rep team from the Prince George Minor Hockey Association, faced the Royals in the final game of a weekend tournament in Kelowna. The Cats gave up the first goal but eventually celebrated a 6-4 victory.
The majority of the Prince George players are 15- and 16-year-olds, while Calgary's roster was stocked almost exclusively with 17-year-olds. The Royals also had a size advantage but the gritty Cats didn't back down and were rewarded with gold medals.
"[The Royals] outsized us quite badly and that was the biggest battle for us," said Cougars head coach Ron Powar. "In the battles in front of the net, you had a 180-pound guy fighting against our smallest defenceman at about 110 pounds."
And then there was the illness that was working its way through the P.G. lineup. Worst off was team captain Thane Anderson, who spent four days in bed before the trip south. Anderson didn't score in the final but had six goals and 13 points in five games.
In the final, the Cats took a 2-1 lead early in the middle frame on a goal by James Gordon. Then, seconds later, they struck again, with Josh Albinati doing the damage on a power play. Albinati snapped a one-timer into the top corner of the Calgary net and the Cougars had all the momentum they needed.
Gabe Mason scored two of the Prince George goals, while Darren Hards and Keith Redden also found the back of the Calgary net. Jamie Ferguson was the winning goaltender for the Cougars.
Coast Inn finished the tournament with a 4-1 record, the only loss a 5-4 opening-game setback against Ridge Meadows. In their other outings, the Cats beat the Victoria Racquet Club 5-0, defeated Langley 4-1 and topped Kelowna 5-2. The game against Kelowna was a semifinal and saw the Cougars scrap back from a 2-0 first-period deficit.
The Cougars were also golden two weekends ago in Kamloops.
Not including exhibition play, the Cats now boast a 12-2-1 record. They'll be back on the ice Friday afternoon in Vernon for the start of another tournament. At the eight-team gathering, the Cougars will open up against Okanagan Hockey Academy of Penticton.
