The result may not have been what they wanted, but there is one thing the Cariboo Minor Midget Cougars can take in a positive direction.
The team combined for 21 goals in five games this weekend at the 2020 Okanagan Classic AAA Hockey Tournament en route to a 3-2 record.
That’s an average of over four goals a game against fellow B.C. clubs and other hockey programs from out of province.
After finishing third in pool-play and missing out on playoff round on a technicality, the Minor Midget Cats’ results sent them to the first consolation game of the 10-team event in Kelowna.
Facing the Vancouver North East Chiefs, the Cougars went on a scoring-spree that ended in a 6-0 shutout of their familiar foes to finish fifth.
Minor Midget Cougars have a 2-0 season-series advantage against the Chiefs, winning by scores of 7-3 & 9-7 on the road in Coquitlam Nov. 23-24, 2019 | #CityOfPG pic.twitter.com/ts6RRRKNjl
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) January 5, 2020
Local product Jasper Tait earned the clean sheet between the pipes Sunday morning (Jan. 5), while Max Sanford of Williams Lake potted a hat-trick.
The kicker in the final contest was a longer-than-normal second intermission as everyone wanted to watch the final period of Canada’s gold-medal victory over Russia at the 2020 World Junior Championships.
Televisions were set up in the hallway next to Capital News Centre Rinks 1, where both Cariboo and Vancouver North East players could see through windows to catch the game.
Game is delayed by officials to allows both teams watch the end of the @HC_WJC gold medal game! pic.twitter.com/J8ZquXGz9a
— Cariboo Cougars Minor Midget Hockey Club (@CC_MinorMidget) January 5, 2020
The round-robin results for the Cariboo Minor Midget Cougars were as follows:
- 4-2 win over Everett AAA Jr. Silvertips
- 5-4 loss to Airdrie/Cochrane Avalanche
- 3-2 overtime loss to Thompson Minor Midget Blazers
- 5-2 win over Lloydminster AAA Bobcats
The Okanagan Classic is an international competition that saw hockey clubs attend from Washington and Arizona in addition to four teams from B.C. and four from Alberta.
Cariboo begins its 2020 portion of the season in Nanaimo this weekend, Jan. 11 and 12, for games against the North Island Minor Midget Silvertips.
The Cats are back on home ice on Jan. 18 for back-to-back games against Thompson at the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena (10:45 a.m.) and CN Centre (2:45 p.m.).
