The Northland Dodge Northern Cougars' dream season is over.
They won't get a chance to play for a national title.
The Edmonton Thunder ruled out that possibility, scoring a 3-1 victory over the Cougars to claim the Pacific region midget female hockey championship Saturday night in Edmonton.
Alex Reiter broke a 1-1 deadlock and scored the winner for Edmonton, 17:44 into the second period and Kennedy Becks pounded one more puck in behind Cougar goalie Kelsey Roberts to guarantee the victory.
Edmonton will advance to the six-team Esso Cup national tournament in Red Deer, April 19-25.
Combined with Friday's 3-2 win in triple overtime, the Thunder swept the best-of-three series 2-0.
As they did in the series opener, the Cougars scored first Saturday. Left winger Hunter Mosher found the net 4:26 into the game, but that lead was erased by Alexandra Poznikoff. Poznikoff's goal 15:25 into the first period was a confidence-builder for her Thunder teammates and they took control.
"In the second period we came out flat and they came at us pretty hard," said Desjardins. "Kelsey made some big stops but they got one by her.
"They are a good team and you can't take anything away from them. That's definitely the best team we've faced all year. They the most structured and they didn't stop moving their feet and they've got a couple of superstars (Poznikoff and defenceman Cayle Dillon)."
The B.C. champions ended the game on the power play when Becks took out Cougars forward Grace Barlow with an illegal hit from behind to draw a five-minute major penalty with 4:30 left. The Cougars got Roberts to the bench for the extra skater but couldn't score.
"We had three good chances on the power play to score but it just wasn't meant to be," said Desjardins.
Shots ended up 32-17 in favour of the Thunder.
Desjardins said the Cougars easily could have come out on top in Friday's game, which ended when Edmonton's Raylene Emerson scored the winner, 2:45 into third overtime period. The Cougars had three 2-on-1 breaks in overtime Friday but were unable to a score. Just before Emerson's goal, Cougars defenceman Sidney Jordan rattled the post with her shot from the point.
"We had our opportunities, no question," said Desjardins.
In only their third season in the league, the Cougars captured their first B.C. Female Midget Triple-A Hockey League's regular season, setting a record for most wins and fewest losses with a 25-3-2 record. The Cougars went on to defeat the Fraser Valley Phantom in a three-game league championship playoff final.
"They've come a long way and they've accomplished a lot of things and I know all their parents are proud of them," said Desjardins. "Our goal all year was to get to the Esso Cup and the girls gave it everything they had."
The Cougars will lose six players to graduation -- defencemen Jayden Malgunas and Chantelle Beadman-Rolph and forwards Madison Fjellstrom, Ava Keis, Jocelyn Forrest and Cassidy Mellott. But coach Desjardins said there are some talented 15- and 16-year-old players coming up to the team and he's hoping Hockey BC will ask him to stay on for his third season as Cougars head coach.
"We'll definitely be a contender again next year for provincials," he said.
