The Cariboo Cougars now know the first four teams that stand in their way of winning the Mac's AAA Midget Hockey Tournament.
The Cougars - Mac's champions two years ago - are in a round-robin pool with the Calgary Northstars, Notre Dame Hounds, New York Junior Islanders and the South Side Athletic Club Boston Pizza Athletics of Edmonton. Organizers of the 39th annual tournament, held in Calgary, released the schedule on Wednesday. The Cougars will open against the Northstars at 3:30 p.m. Alberta time on Dec. 26.
Cariboo head coach Trevor Sprague wouldn't have minded facing a European squad in round-robin play. Nonetheless, he expects tough games from the teams that did get grouped with the Cats.
"I think all those organizations that we have to play are good organizations," he said.
"I like the pool, I like how it's set up. With those teams, like Notre Dame and the Athletic Club, they play a hard game like we do. I think you'll see two physical games, bread-and-butter games. So I think it fits nicely for us and if we can get some scoring and some good goaltending, we'll be just fine."
The Mac's, seen as an unofficial world championship for midget club teams, has 25 entries in the male division. International teams include the Islanders, Arizona Bobcats, New Jersey Hitmen, Alaska Oilers, Belarus National U17, Austrian National U18 and Hungarian National U18.
The top finisher in each pool advances to the playoffs, as do the three teams with the next-best records.
When the Cougars claimed Mac's gold two years ago, they beat the Regina Pat Canadians 2-1 in double-overtime in the final. Last year, they were eliminated in the semifinal round by the Lloydminster Bobcats.
The Prince George-based Northern Capitals are in the female division of the Mac's and enter the event as defending champion. The Caps, with a much different lineup this year due to graduation, are in a pool with the Calgary Fire, Saskatoon Stars, Fraser Valley Rush and San Jose Junior Sharks. Their first game is Dec. 26 (1:15 p.m. Alberta time) against the Fire.
