When it comes to the playoffs, Mario Desjardins is a little nervous. But that's a good thing.
As head coach of the Northland Dodge Female Cougars, his triple-A midget hockey team hits home ice Friday to embark on a second-round series against the Thompson Okanagan Rockets
"The nervousness equals excitement," said Desjardins. "The players get an opportunity to play in front of their hometown crowd. We have a young team and it's their first-ever playoff series. It's my first-ever playoff series. I'm hoping that excitement will turn into adrenaline and the team will be ready to play."
The best-of-three series begins Friday with a 5 p.m. faceoff at Kin 1 arena. Game 2 follows Saturday at 1 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, is Sunday at 10 a.m.
The Cougars posted a 16-6-8 record in the regular season, which put them in second place with 40 points, 11 behind league-leaders Fraser Valley Phantom from Langley (22-1-7).
Based on their records, the two squads received a bye in the first round of the playoffs last weekend.
The Rockets won their series against the Vancouver Island Hurricanes to advance to this weekend. The West Coast Avalanche defeated the Kootenay Wildcats and will visit the Phantom in Langley this weekend.
While Prince George sported a 4-1-1 record against the Rockets in six meetings during the regular season, that means little when it comes to the playoffs.
The Cougars haven't played a game since March 1, when they drew a 1-1 tie against Kootenay. They're healthy too, and will run four lines and five defencemen.
"With the layoff, it's not the best scenario, especially with spring break, but we're practising," said Desjardins. "We'll stick to our systems and we won't change a whole lot. We hope to have some support. [Female hockey] has skating and skill and people will be surprised at how much contact there is in the female game."
Prince George only lost two games during the second half of the season in 14 games, which also gives them confidence.
"At the beginning of the season we were looking pretty good," said Desjardins. "We were together as a team and a family. We addressed back in October how much the team has to improve and we couldn't be happier right now."
The winner of both series advances to the B.C. championship final April 4 and 5.
The team that wins the B.C. title qualifies for the 2014 Esso Cup, the national female midget hockey championship in Stoney Creek/Hamilton, Ont.
