The LJ Contracting Cougars are getting used to gold.
The Cats, a midget Tier 2 rep team from the Prince George Minor Hockey Association, won their third tournament of the season last weekend in Williams Lake. In the final, they held off Smithers for a 5-3 victory.
In the game, the 15- to 17-year-old Cougars got goals from Dean Whitcomb (2), Garrett Hilton, Garet Anderson and Matthias Urbanski. The marker by Urbanski came moments after Smithers had pulled into a one-goal deficit late in the third period.
Earlier, Smithers held a 2-1 lead but the Cougars responded with three consecutive goals.
In the nets, Mathew Ens picked up the victory.
In their other games, the Cougars beat Salmon Arm 3-2, downed Smithers 6-3 and defeated Terrace 8-5. Seth Lapre was the winning goaltender in the Salmon Arm and Terrace games, and Ens was between the pipes against Smithers.
The Cougars have also won tournaments in Quesnel and Prince George this season. They are now on a 14-game undefeated streak and have gone 19-2-4 in their past 25 outings.
In March, the Cats will host the midget Tier 2 provincial championship.
The Farr Fabricating Cougars skated to a 3-2 record at the Rick Lapointe Memorial tournament in Victoria last weekend.
The Cats - the local bantam Tier 1 reps - ended up sixth in the 12-team event. Prince George forward Corey Cunningham was the tournament's scoring leader with 16 goals and 20 points in the five games. Brandon Dent, with seven goals and 15 points, was third on the list. Meanwhile, Matthew Marotta led all defencemen with eight points (one goal, seven assists).
The Premium Truck & Trailer peewee Tier 2 Cougars are hosting a six-team tournament that starts on Friday at the Kin Centre. Out-of-town clubs are Williams Lake, Quesnel, Kitimat, Terrace and Dawson Creek.
The first game is Friday at 8:30 a.m. when Williams Lake takes on Quesnel at Kin 2. The opening game for the Cougars is Friday at 9:45 a.m. (Kin 1) against Kitimat.
Games continue on Saturday, and the championship final is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday at Kin 2.
The event is being sponsored by Up the Creek Garment Company.
