Statement made.
That’s how one could describe the two-day road trip the Cariboo Minor Midget Cougars just endured by sweeping the first-place team in their league to begin their 12-game road trip with authority.
The Cats combined for 12 goals on the weekend, defeating the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds by scores of 8-2 on Saturday (Nov. 16) and 4-2 on Sunday (Nov. 17).
Forward Scott Cousins took the leadership reins in terms of offense by recording seven points between the two contests, scoring all of his four goals in the first match and two coming on the power-play.
The 15-year-old Prince George product, also the team captain, currently leads the Minor Midgets with 23 points in the 10 games he’s played, averaging a goal per game and adding 13 assists.
Linden Makow and Decker Mujcin each tallied four points against Fraser Valley, combining for five goals and three assists.
Makow and Cousins are tied in team-scoring with 10 goals each.
Brady McIsaac and Chase Pacheco were the other players in red and white that recorded multi-point performances with three and two respectively.
Cariboo goaltenders Tysen Smith and Jasper Tait took turns playing between the pipes in Abbotsford and both picked up wins.
Saturday’s runaway was Smith’s sixth victory in seven starts; Tait now has three wins in five starts, serving as the team’s back-up netminder.
The Cougars record improves to 9-3, but that only has them sitting in third place as the Thunderbirds have played two more games.
The Okanagan Rockets gained possession of the top spot in B.C.’s minor midget hockey league after a pair of wins on Vancouver Island, two points ahead of the Cougars.
Cariboo continues its extended time away from the home barn this weekend (Nov. 23-24) down in Coquitlam for meetings against the Vancouver Northeast Chiefs.
The Minor Midget Cougars won’t be back on home ice until the new year.
Meanwhile, the Major Midget Cats split its series against the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds, also in Abbotsford.
Cariboo earned a 4-1 victory on Sunday after a one-goal decision on Saturday, 2-1.
Their record is now 11-4-0-1 sitting in fourth place in the province.
The Cats will be in Nanaimo this weekend for clashes against the North Island Silvertips.
