The Cariboo Cougars know the importance of their next two games.
They'll face a tough opponent when they host the second-place Fraser Valley Thunderbirds and the Cougars will try to feed off the energy a home audience at Kin 1 as they try to climb the B.C. Hockey Major Midget Hockey League ladder.
The Cougars (24-10-1-1) rank fifth in the standings but they're only four points back of the Thunderbirds (26-8-0-2). A pair of wins for the Cougars would tighten up the standings considerably for next weekend when they play the North Island Silvertips at Kin 1 in a two-game series to wrap up the regular season.
The T-birds and Cougars have a long-running rivalry that was renewed last year in the league championships series. The T-birds beat the Cougars on home ice in the 2018 final in a two-game series but the Cougars got their revenge last year in Abbotsford, winning 3-0 and 8-2 to sweep the championship series.
The Cougars are on a roll right now. They've played all their February games on home ice and have thrived on the Olympic-sized rink, winning six straight games.
Alex Ochitwa, the Cougars' player of the month for January, leads the team in scoring with 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points in just 26 games. He stacks up sixth in the scoring race, one spot ahead of teammate Carter Yarish (22-22-44).
Jordan Fairlie (10-7-1-0, 2.47 goals-against average) and Kenny Gerow (10-3-0-0), 1.93 GAA) rank among the stingiest goalies in the league heading into this weekend's games.
Saturday's game starts at 4:30 p.m. and is a fundraiser for the BC Children's Hospital. The puck drop Sunday is at 10:30 a.m.
*****
Meanwhile in Victoria, the Northern Capitals have to be feeling confident about their chances of success when they visit the Vancouver Island Seals in a three-game B.C. Female Midget Triple-A Hockey League series.
The Capitals (14-10-2-0, third place) are tied in points with the Fraser Valley Rush (14-7-2-0, second place), each with 30, and have an opportunity this weekend to gain some ground on the Rush. The Prince George-based Capitals face a last-place Seals team that has yet to win a game this season (0-29-0-0) and the Caps are full of confidence after nearly winning the Fraser Valley Classic tournament last weekend in Langley.
They got to the final and lost 2-1 to the league-leading Greater Vancouver Comets when Comet forward Jordan Baxter scored with one second left in regulation time to clinch the tournament title Monday afternoon. Brett Kerley teamed up with Paige Outhouse to score the tying goal with five minutes left in the third period.
The Comets have lost just one game this season and lead the B.C. league (26-1-0-0)
In Sunday's semifinal, there was just one second left in the third period when Kerley scored to cinch a 3-2 victory over the Rush. Pyper Alexander scored twice in that game for the Capitals. They opened the tournament with wins over the St. Albert Sharks (4-1) and the Seals (3-0) and tied the Thompson Okanagan Lakers (2-2).
Capitals defenceman Brooke Norkus was named co-winner of the tournament MVP honours.
The Caps play the Seals Friday and Saturday nights as well as Sunday morning. They'll be back on home ice at Kin 2 next weekend for a three-game set against Fraser Valley to close out the regular season.
****
In Calgary, former Northern Capitals forwards Sage Desjardins and Taylor Beck, as well as goalie Kelsey Roberts will try to advance with the University of Calgary Dinos to the U Sports Canada West Conference championship. First they have to eliminate the Mount Royal University Cougars, who begin a best-of-three semifinal against the Dinos Friday night. Game 2 of the series is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. PT and a third game, if needed, is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. PT.
Earlier Friday, defenceman Taylor Anker scored with 2:59 left in triple overtime to lift the Alberta Pandas to a 1-0 win over the UBC Thunderbirds in Game 1 of the other Canada west semifinal series in Edmonton.
In Halifax, N.S., Prince George minor hockey product Kiana Wilkinson, who played for the city's triple-A midget team when they were known as the Northern Cougars, will try to take the St. Mary's Huskies into the Atlantic University Sport championship series. Wilkinson, a defenceman, is captain of the Huskies, in her final U Sports season. They face the New Brunswick Reds in a best-of-three semifinal that starts Saturday in Halifax. The winner plays the Prince Edward Island-St. Francis Xavier winner in the final.
