They didn't win a game all tournament but nobody was hanging their heads Thursday when it was all over for the Prince George Farr Fabricating Cougars.
They gave it all they had, but against the best bantam-aged hockey players in B.C. at the Tier 1 bantam provincial championship, the Cougars' best efforts fell short.
They lost 5-1 to the Kelowna Junior Rockets Thursday at Kin 1 and ended up with a 0-5 last-place record at the six-team tournament but there was no despair in the Cats' dressing room. All 18 players left the rink knowing they'd drained the tank of what was for them a satisfying season.
Cougars captain Myles Mattilla, one of two Quesnel players on the team along with defenceman Brody Dale, said the Cougars took a quantum leap forward in their development as hockey players. Hosting the provincial tournament, regardless of their record, was a perfect way for them to cap the season.
"We gained some confidence -- we knew coming in as underdogs it was going to be a tough challenge and we played our hardest and just had a few tough goals we couldn't bury," said Mattilla. "We had great goaltending [in Thursday's game] and we put lots of pucks on net but they wouldn't go in, and we hit a lot of posts."
The Cougars threw all they had at the Rockets in the first 40 minutes, outshooting them 32-14 through two periods but had little on the scoreboard to show for it.
"We were down 4-1 after two, they got a couple of bounces and we didn't and it wasn't a great third period for us but overall it was a decent week," said Cougars head coach Chris Bond. "We just didn't have our best outings against some of the teams we were in the mix against and that kind of hurt us.
"It was a very good level of competition throughout and it was a frustrating way to end but overall throughout the year we've improved a lot as a team and as individuals. We didn't catch a lot of bounces in games but for the most part we battled hard, our compete level was pretty good throughout the year, and we really pushed some teams. It's tough to keep up that work ethic when you're on the losing end of things but overall I thought we did a good job."
The two Winter Clubs, North Shore and Burnaby, met later in Thursday's final. Bond was not surprised to see the two top seeds advance.
"They are both very skilled but they're also the two hardest-working teams here, they never take a shift off and it's good for us to see these teams to see how they compete," said Bond. "They go to all the big tournaments and know what it takes to be successful and it was good for us to get a taste of that."
Jeremy Hite did more than his share of damage for Kelowna in the offensive end Thursday, leading the Rockets with two goals and an assist. Mitchell Prowse, Zach Whitehead and Scott Freeman also scored for Kelowna. Darian Long was the lone marksman for the Cougars, who outshot their opponents 36-31.
Cougars goalie Jake Sweet, topped 15 of 16 Kelowna shots, coming into the game in the third period after starter Mathew Ens had allowed four goals on 10 shots through two periods. Sweet was the Cougars' goalie of record in their opening 2-1 loss to Burnaby Winter Club, probably the best game of the tournament for Prince George.
"Burnaby is a pretty good team and we weren't expected to do well, so I thought coming out with a 2-1 loss to them was pretty good against them," said Sweet. "For sure, this tournament is going to help us. We had great games against Burnaby and North Shore [a 5-0 loss) and if we play like that next year I think we'll do well. "
Sweet said paying in the provincial tournament in front of their biggest crowds of the season was a thrill the Cougars won't soon forget.
In the championship game at press time, North Shore ?????? Burnaby ???? after two periods.
Burnaby needed a win over Kamloops Thursday morning to get to the final and hung on to win 3-2, after building a 3-0 lead. James Malm scored the winner 14:33 into the third period and picked up two assists. Mackenzie White and Liam Evanson also scored for Burnaby. Sol Seibel got Kamloops on the scoreboard at 16:38 of the third and Tyler Ward made it close with 48 seconds left. Earlier Thursday, North Shore and Cowichan Valley tied 1-1.
