For the Cariboo Cougars, the first game of the Telus Cup national midget hockey championship was also a chance to grab Pacific region bragging rights.
But, on Monday night at CN Centre, the B.C. champion Cougars fell 4-1 to the Leduc Chrysler Oil Kings, who came into the six-team tournament as the Alberta champ. Normally, a Pacific championship series is held in advance of the Telus Cup but one wasn't necessary this year because of the fact the Cats also had the host berth.
In the Leduc win - which also clinched the Oil Kings the Pacific title - 16-year-old goaltender Easton Hesse was the difference. Hesse frustrated Cariboo players all night and stopped 39 of 40 shots. Overall, the Cougars outshot the Oil Kings 40-30.
Hesse was the clear choice as player of the game for the Oil Kings.
Forward Tyler Maser - a physical force from start to finish - took that honour for the Cougars.
The Oil Kings led 2-0 after the first period and 2-1 after the second. With the Cougars pressing for the tie in the third period, the Oil Kings netted an insurance goal on an odd-man rush. Breydon Berthold did the finishing on the play.
Then, in the final minute, with Cariboo goaltender Marcus Allen on the bench in favour of an extra attacker, Leduc's Dillon Hamaliuk hit an empty net.
At the start of the third period, the Cougars had a five-on-three power play for 27 seconds but couldn't take advantage. Hesse snuffed out the Cats' best chance, which came moments after the teams were back at even strength, when he shut down a crack at a rebound by Darian Long.
The Cougars dominated the Oil Kings in the second period and, thanks to their efforts, cut their deficit to 2-1.
They got on the scoreboard when Daine DuBois powered his way into the slot, through a wall of Leduc defenders, and got a shot away. Trey Thomas, who had gone to the front of the net, got his stick on a rebound and slammed the puck home.
In the middle 20 minutes, the Cats outshot the Oil Kings 20-9. After the Thomas goal, they kept the pressure on and came close to adding to their total. First, Long was foiled on a short two-on-one break (pad save by Hesse), and, later, DuBois sprung Mason Richey with a cross-ice pass but Richey couldn't convert when he got in on the goaltender.
A physical Cougars team carried much of the play for the first half of the opening frame but surrendered the first goal on a counterattack by the Oil Kings. The play ended with forward Jakin Smallwood beating Allen with a shot from the right side at the 7:58 mark.
At that point, shots favoured the Cougars 8-4. The shot count reached 10-4 but then the Oil Kings started to hit their stride and were the better team for the last half of the period. They were rewarded with their second goal at 17:25 when Colby Walter took a goal-line feed from Smallwood and fired low into the left corner past Allen.
The Oil Kings could have extended their lead if not for some heroics by Allen.
The 16-year-old Prince George product twice stymied Conrad Phillips, first at the right side of the net and later on a clear-cut breakaway with just 29 seconds left in the period. Phillips got behind the Cariboo defence and took a stretch pass from inside the Leduc blueline.
During the period, Cariboo forwards Reid Perepeluk and Maser delivered crushing body-checks as the Cats looked to establish themselves on home ice in front of about 1,400 fans.
Despite their physicality and a handful of good scoring chances around the Leduc net, they couldn't solve Hesse.
Both teams ended the period with 11 shots.
The Cougars will look to even their record when they take on the Regina Pat Canadians today at 7:30 p.m. at CN Centre.
The Oil Kings will face the Cape Breton West Islanders at 4 p.m.
