The Cariboo Cougars proved why they were one of the top teams in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League (BCMML) once again.
The team edged out the Greater Vancouver Canadians in their best-of-three quarter-final series 2-0, winning at the Kin Centre 8-2 on Friday and 4-2 on Saturday.
In Game One, Cariboo enjoyed period leads of 2-1 and 7-1 before the 8-2 final score, showing the depth of their 2018-19 campaign with eight different goal-scorers in the contest.
Brendan Pigeon recorded three points Friday night with the Cats, a goal and two assists, while four other players each had two-point nights of their own, including Booker Daniel, Jaxon Danilec, John Herrington, and Alexander Ochitwa.
Goaltender Xavier Cannon stopped all but two shots he faced from the Canadians.
On Saturday, Cariboo was the designated visiting team despite playing in their own barn, but that didn’t stop them from showing off their talents in front of the home crowd.
The Cougars got to 4-2 in after the first 40 minutes of Game Two, holding on to that final after a scoreless third period (and a very intense physical final three minutes) to complete the series sweep.
.@cariboocougars have doubled their lead at 4-2 in Game 2 courtesy of Brett Fudger, his 2nd of the night, while on a PP with 49 seconds left 🚨 Cats are 20min from advancing to the #BCMML semis... if they can hang on 😬 | #CityOfPG @BCHockey_MML @PGMatters pic.twitter.com/4BgerPhFhQ
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) March 17, 2019
Brett Fudger, Curtis Hammond, and Grady Thomas each had two points that afternoon, including Fudger's two-goal performance, while Devin Chapman only allowed two goals between the pipes.
The second-ranked Cariboo Cougars move on to the BCMML semi-finals, which will be another best-of-three series at the Kin Centre.
Vancouver North East will be their opponent after the Chiefs swept their opening round series 2-0 over Vancouver North West.
The Cats and Chiefs will play on Friday (7 p.m.), Saturday (7 p.m.), and Sunday if necessary (10 a.m.).
