Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Northern Capitals enjoying view from penthouse

U-17 and U-18 Cougars sweep Thompson Blazers in B.C. Elite Hockey League weekend series
Northern Capital captain vs. Thompson Okanagan Lakers
Northern Capitals captain Ella Boon carries the puck while truing to avoid a pair of Thompson-Okanagan Lakers checkers. The Cougars won two of three games against the Laker this pat weekend at the Kin Centre.

The Northern Capitals skated to a pair of wins and an overtime loss against the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers during weekend play in the BC Elite Hockey League.

In the U18 female division triple-header, the Capitals earned 4-1 and 6-1 victories on Friday and Sunday, and fell 4-3 in extra time on Saturday.

In the Friday win at CN Centre, Maria Ayre, Jessa Brewer, Hailey Armstrong and Keagan Goulet scored for the Northern Capitals and Brooklyn Hutchings picked up three assists. In the nets, Sierra Eagles was the winning goaltender and Reese Sliskovic took the loss.

Jaylah Bottle was the only Lakers shooter to beat Eagles.

In the Sunday victory for the Capitals, Hutchings led the way with a natural hat trick, while Lindsey Goncalves, Ayre and Keira Vermeulen also scored. Karington Mollin connected for the Lakers.

Eagles and Chelsea West were the goaltenders of record.

The game was played at Kin 1.

In the Saturday decision for the Lakers, Mollin gave them the victory when she scored 2:38 into overtime. Ava Petty had drawn the visitors into a 3-3 tie half way through the third period.

Cassidy Bank and Natasha Barsby had the other Thompson-Okanagan goals.

Brewer scored twice for the Caps and Ayre had the other goal.

West was the winning goaltender and Karsyn Niven took the loss.

The game was played at Kin 2.

The Capitals now have a 14-5-0-3 record and are currently in first place in the five-team division. They’re one point up on the second-place Fraser Valley Rush, but the Rush (15-1-0-0) have six games in hand.

The Rush’s only loss to date came at the hands of the Capitals, 3-2 on Nov. 16 in Langley.

The Northern Capitals are now off until Jan. 15-16, when they’ll be in Richmond for a pair of games against the Greater Vancouver Comets.

*****

The Cariboo Cougars won back-to-back games for the first time this season in the BC Elite Hockey League.

On the road in Kamloops, the U18 Cougars defeated the Thompson Blazers 3-1 on Saturday and 2-1 on Sunday.

In the opener, Caleb DeHoog had the home team up 1-0 after the first period but the Cats scored three unanswered goals after that. Keenan Holland, Chase Pacheco and Marik Mamic were the Cariboo marksmen. Pacheco and Holland also had an assist each.

Tysen Smith was in net for the win, while Kellan Mooney was saddled with the loss.

In Sunday’s rematch, Amar Powar and Zachary Leslie staked the Cougars to a 2-0 lead and Smith appeared on his way to a shutout until DeHoog scored on a power play with 35 seconds left on the clock.

Brendan Smith was the losing goaltender.

In the standings, the Cougars improved to 7-7-1-1 and now hold down fifth place in the 10-team division. The ninth-place Blazers sit at 5-11-1-1.

Next up, the Cougars will face the North Island Silvertips (4-7-1-4) on Dec. 4-5 at Kin 1. Game times are 4:30 p.m. and 9 a.m.

*****

The U17 Cariboo Cougars won a pair of tight games against the visiting Thompson Blazers during a weekend doubleheader in the BC Elite Hockey League.

On the ice at Kin 1, the Cougars prevailed 2-1 on Saturday and 4-3 on Sunday.

In Saturday’s game, the Cats trailed 1-0 in the third period but Parker White notched the tying goal with just over five minutes to play and then Jesse Brideau gave the Cougars a dramatic victory when he scored on a power play with just 33 seconds left on the clock.

Elijah Shaffi had the Thompson goal.

In the nets, Brady MacKay got the win and Zach Veninsky took the loss.

On Sunday, the teams erupted for five goals in the second period, and the last of them – by Cariboo forward Blake Pigeon – stood up as the winner.

Other goals in the period came from Isaiah Bagri and Carter Boomer of the Cougars, while Shaffi and Ryan Smith scored for the Blazers.

Hayden Evans of the Blazers and Bagri exchanged first-period goals.

Between the pipes, Ben Delisi was the winner and Preston Lewis took the loss.

With the wins, the Cats elevated their record to 6-7-0-1, a mark that has them in seventh place in the 10-team division. The Blazers, in eighth spot, slipped to 4-13-0-1.

The Cougars are scheduled to be in Nanaimo this coming weekend to square off against the North Island Silvertips (2-14-0-0).

- Jason Peters, Cariboo Hockey