Prince George Cougars prospect Hunter Laing was a Cougar-killer on the weekend.
He stunned the Cariboo Cougars with a hat-trick performance Saturday in a 6-2 BC Elite Hockey League U-18 triple-A male playoff win that ended the Cats’ season Saturday in Kelowna.
Laing, who had two assists in Friday’s 4-0 win over Cariboo in the first game of the best-of-three opening-round series, ignited the Rockets’ offence Saturday three goals.
Cariboo captain Carter Hasselgrave and Mason Loewen scored for the Cougars.
Laing is a 16-year-old forward picked in the second round, 33rd overall by Prince George in the 2021 WHL Prospects draft.
Meanwhile, in the BCEHL U-18 triple-A female playoffs, the Northern Capitals fought off elimination and pushed the Greater Vancouver Comets to a third and deciding game Sunday at Kin 2 but lost 3-2.
Camryn Ward, in the first period, and Neen Suapa, late in the second period, each scored to give the Northern Capitals leads but they were unable to hang on to them. Grace Cooper’s power-play goal tied it for the Comets 35 seconds into the third period and Sadie Mulligan fired the game winner, beating Caps goalie Payton Planetta six minutes into the third period.
The Northern Capitals (9-19-4-0) finished fourth in the regular season, 10 points ahead of the fifth-place Comets (5-25-2-0).
Knyla Evans and Jessa Brewer scored for the Capitals in their 3-2 win Saturday that tied the series. Greater Vancouver topped the Capitals 4-2 in Friday’s series opener.
The Comets will advance to the semifinal round against the regular-season champion Fraser Valley Rush. Vancouver Island Seals meet the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers in the other semifinal.
