One more win and the Coast Inn of the North Cougars would have skated for a championship.
The Cougars, a midget Tier 1 rep team from the Prince George Minor Hockey Association, compiled a 3-1 record during a weekend tournament in Kelowna. The Cats' only loss was a semifinal setback to the host team. On a late third-period goal, Kelowna edged the Cougars 3-2 and went on to beat West Vancouver's Hollyburn 7-0 in the final.
In their other games, the Cats downed Calgary 2-1, swamped Seafair of Richmond 6-1 and defeated Kamloops 6-3.
The Coast Inn players are pretty much free of facial hair, with the majority of them being 15 and 16. In the midget division, 17 is the upper age limit. Despite their youth, the Cougars are proving tough to beat.
"We've got a lot of young guys that are learning some things about how to play at that level and they're really playing well," said Cougars head coach Jason Garneau. "We're in every game we play. We're winning way more than we're losing, and even the games we're losing, it's not by blowout scores. It's usually by one or two goals so I'm pretty happy with their work ethic and the way they're battling. We're only getting better as the year goes on."
In league play, the Cougars have an impressive 6-1 record. The Cats compete in the Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association and, again, their only taste of defeat was served by Kelowna.
Garneau said Coast Inn's 17-year-olds, including guys like Michael Bhatoa, Riley Hawes and Derek Bulmer, have been instrumental in helping the younger players believe in themselves and their abilities.
"To the credit of the older guys on the team, they don't let any of the younger guys get intimidated by anybody," Garneau said. "They're showing how hard work can pay off."
Another reason why the Cougars have been winning hockey games is their team defence. The forwards have committed themselves to getting back to help out their blueliners and, inside their own zone, the Cats have been giving their opponents very little time and space to move the puck.
Offensively, on the other hand, the Cougars could actually be a little sharper.
"We're getting chances and we're missing a lot of open nets and hitting a lot of posts and crossbars right now," Garneau said.
The Cougars will try to put everything together this weekend in Vernon, where they will take part in an eight-team tournament. Their first game is Friday night against Calgary.
