The Northland Dodge female midget triple-A Northern Cougars are not staying put in Prince George over the Christmas holidays.
For the second straight year they've earned an invitation to the Mac Midget hockey tournament in Calgary. Considered one of the most prestigious annual tournaments in the country, the Mac's starts on Boxing Day, Dec. 26 and runs through the championship games (female and male) on Jan. 1.
The Northern Cougars compete in the six-team B.C. Female Midget Triple-A Hockey League. Currently tied with the Kootenay Wildcats for third place, the Northern Cougars (3-2-4) are in action this weekend in Duncan for a three-game series against the last-place Vancouver Island Hurricanes (3-8-0), which starts Friday.
Sage Desjardins leads the female Cougars in scoring with six assists for six points in nine games. Desjardins is among six players tied for 14th overall in the league scoring race.
In their most recent league game action, the Cougars took on the second-place Fraser Valley Phantom in a three-game set at Kin 2. After the Cougars lost the opening game 2-0 loss, the teams played to consecutive 1-1 ties the next two games.
The Mac's tournament features 25 male teams and 15 female teams from Canada, the U.S. and Europe, made up of players in the 15-17-year-old age category. The Cariboo Cougars will represent Prince George in the male tournament.
The Edmonton Thunder are the defending female champions, while the Vancouver Northwest Giants captured the 2013 crown in the male division.
