The Telus Cup national midget hockey championship starts in a little more than six weeks but the challenge for the Cariboo Cougars will be to keep their minds on the present.
The Cougars - the Telus Cup hosts - start the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League playoffs today (3:30 p.m., Kin 1) against the Kootenay Ice. On paper, the best-of-three quarterfinal series is a mismatch. However, for the top-seeded Cats to reach their goal of adding a playoff banner to their regular-season title - and ultimately winning the Telus Cup - they must take things one stride at a time. Their first task is to get past the eighth-ranked Ice, who would love nothing better than to slay a giant in their first-ever BCHMML playoff appearance.
Cougars head coach Trevor Sprague is confident the team will play the Ice with the level of intensity required for success in post-season hockey.
"I think our guys are focused on each series," said Sprague, whose club advanced to the 2015-16 playoff final but was swept by the Valley West Hawks. "I think having the majority of our team back, understanding that we made the final last year (and lost), it's something that all these guys - including the guys that are new to the team - all have that bee in their bonnet, like, 'We've got to complete the mission.'
"We're healthy and everybody's ready to go," Sprague added. "Not a lot of teams can say they're healthy this time of the year. We are, and I think the guys are built to take each series as it comes."
The Cougars completed the regular season with a record of 34-5-1-0, a best-ever mark in the 13-year history of the Cariboo organization. The Ice, which also set a new benchmark for wins, finished at 18-21-0-1.
Head-to-head this season, the Cats won all four games against the Ice by wide margins. On Sept. 24-25 in Trail, the Cougars began the 40-game regular schedule with 8-2 and 6-0 victories against their hosts. When the Ice came to Prince George in December, the Cats won 8-0 and 10-1.
As those results suggest, the Cougars have a high-powered offence. This season, they scored the most goals in the league (214 in 40 games, average of 5.35 per contest). Individually, they were led by 17-year-old Williams Lake resident Daine DuBois, who finished tied for first in the scoring race with Liam Kindree of the Vancouver Northwest Giants. Both players had 67 points in 40 games, DuBois on 27 goals and 40 assists and Kindree on 28 goals and 39 helpers.
In support of DuBois, Cariboo forward Mason Richey (seventh in league scoring) put up 30 goals and 55 points in 40 games, and four other players finished north of 30 points. One of those was 17-year-old local product Jeremy Gervais (15 goals, 49 points), who was the league's highest-scoring defenceman and its player of the month for February.
In net, the Cougars have the BCHMML's top tandem in 16-year-old Marcus Allen and 17-year-old Zach Wickson. While Wickson has a slightly better goals-against average (a league-low 1.70), Allen will get the start in the series opener against the Ice. Sprague's plan is to come back with Wickson in Saturday's second game, slated for 2:30 p.m. at Kin 1.
"I think it's something Allen has earned," Sprague said of giving the start to the younger goaltender in Game 1. "He comes to practice every day to compete and push and be the best that he can be. He's a kid that comes to each game businesslike and prepared to play."
As for the Kootenay club, its leading scorers are Christian Macasso and Aiden Jenner. Both registered 39 points, Macasso with 17 goals and Jenner with 15. In net, Jaysen MacLean and Jake Kemp have split the duties evenly this season.
"Their work ethic and their goaltending is really good," Sprague said in reference to the Ice. "Their forwards compete and in their D zone they're good at blocking shots and protecting the middle of the ice. And with that being said, if their goaltending is above average, it could win them a hockey game.
"For our guys, we have to make sure that we capitalize on the scoring opportunities that they give us and make sure that we look at our D zone as a unit of five. Our backcheck and our backside pressure has to be exceptional."
If a third game is required, it will start on Sunday at 10:15 a.m. at Kin 1.
The Telus Cup is April 24-30 at CN Centre.
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