The Prince George WIC Female Bantam Rep. Cougars returned from the (Hayley) Wickenheiser International Women's Hockey Festival on Sunday with the championship trophy in tow.
In the gold-medal final, the Cougars earned a bit of revenge against the Richmond Ravens with a decisive 4-1 win, while out shooting the Ravens 31-11. Richmond beat the Cougars 4-0 during Saturday's round-robin play, which was the Prince George girls first defeat of the season.
Don Knoop, head coach of the Cougars, said the girls keep improving due to their determination to work as a team.
"The girls played a great team game, focusing on getting pucks deep, fore-checking, a commitment to shooting and chasing rebounds," said Knoop. "As the season progresses, the girls are developing a strong team game and making a name for themselves across the province."
In two months the Cougars have accumulated a 15-1-3 record.
It was a rough start for the WIC girls in Burnaby as they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Kelowna Junior Rockets on Friday, but the team pulled together against the North Shore Avalanche later in the day, beating the traditional powerhouse 5-2.
"The win against the North Shore Avalanche was a long time coming and felt very good," said Knoop.
The Cougars rebounded from the 4-0 loss to the Ravens on Saturday with a 3-2 win against the South Island Breakers, putting the Prince George team into the semifinal Sunday versus the Surray Falcons.
In the semifinal, the Cougars and Falcons played to a 0-0 draw after 60 minutes, due to outstanding goaltending from the Falcons' Morgan Symington, as the Cougars fired 36 shots on her. Prince George won in a 12-round shootout.
The WIC Cougars next action is Dec. 2 to 4 when they host their annual tournament at the Kin Centre Arenas. Eight teams will take part in the event, including Lloydminster, Dawson Creek, 100 Mile House, Houston, Terrace, Williams Lake and Kelowna.
