It wasn't perfect, but the LJ Contracting Cougars will certainly take the result.
The Cougars, host team at the B.C. Hockey Midget Tier 2 provincial championship tournament, defeated the Fort St. John Flyers 5-2 Tuesday night at Kin 1. The Cats led 3-0 going into the third period and remained in control in those final 20 minutes. They did, however, allow a couple Fort St. John goals and weren't as sharp offensively as they were earlier in the contest.
"We didn't play our game - that's the best way to describe it," said Cougars head coach Wes Scott. "I think the players were looking ahead to the things to come.
"It was details, especially on our puck movement," Scott added. "We were hanging onto the puck a little bit too long. We just need to move it to the open guy and then the old give-and-go process. When we play our good hockey, that's our strength - we move the puck well."
Matthias Urbanski led the Cougars offensively with a pair of goals. Dean Whitcomb, Ryan Whitehead and Tyler Marsh also connected for the Cats. Tyler Bueckert scored both Fort St. John goals.
The Whitehead goal, at the seven-minute mark of the third period, was a spectacular one. On the play, he dangled through a few Flyer defenders in the high slot, got in alone on net, and roofed a backhander. The puck went in and out so quickly that the referee didn't signal a goal. But, at the next stoppage in play, the three on-ice officials consulted with each other and ruled for a goal.
"It was a highlight goal," Scott said. "I was really glad that they actually got together because the whole bench was just buzzing about it."
Goaltender Zach Parlee picked up the victory for the Cougars, who outshot the Flyers 38-20.
With the win, the Cougars elevated their record to 2-0 and guaranteed themselves a spot in the playoff semifinals. Tonight, however, they'll face their toughest test so far when they wrap up their round-robin schedule with a game against the Vernon Vipers, who also stand at 2-0.
"It's going to be a real measuring stick because they're a very, very good hockey club," Scott said. "They're well-coached, they're quick. It's going to be lots of fun. We played them earlier this year and it was 5-5 but a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then."
The opening face-off between the Cougars and Vipers is at 6:15 p.m. at Kin 1.
