The final game on the 2020 BC Winter Classic schedule saw a Prince George hockey team come out on top.
The Cariboo Cougars went on a scoring spree Sunday afternoon (Jan. 19), including five power-play goals, topping the Vancouver North West Hawks 7-4 at the Fort Forum Arena.
The Major Midget Cats split the weekend series 1-1 in Fort St. James after losing the outdoor game Saturday night (Jan. 18).
Forward Alex Ochitwa nabbed two goals and two assists for a game-high four points.
He was one of three Cariboo players to record multi-point games with Carter Yarish (three) and Kellan Brienen (two), while goaltender Kenny Gerow earned his sixth win of the 2019-20 season by stopping 28 of 32 shots from the Hawks.
The Cougars held a 2-0 lead after the first period, goals by Nico Myatovic and Hunter Brown.
After the Hawks cut the deficit, Cariboo potted two goals in 57 seconds from Ochitwa, his coming on a man-advantage, and Fischer O’Brien for a 4-1 lead.
Vancouver North West retaliated with consecutive goals of their own to make it 4-3, but Ochitwa took advantage on yet another power-play opportunity.
The Hawks responded once more to get back within one, however, that was short-lived by 39 seconds and Brennan Boot’s team-leading 13th goal of the year got the home team to a 6-4 lead at intermission.
Gerow stopped all eight shots he faced in the third period to keep his team two goals ahead.
Yarish found the empty net with six seconds left on the clock to seal the 7-4 win and improve his team to 18-8-1-1.
Cariboo remains in fifth place in the BC Major Midget League standings with the 2-2 season series split with the Hawks.
The Cats hit the road next weekend, Jan. 25 and 26, with games in Burnaby against the Vancouver North East Chiefs.
What an incredible addition to this weekend, thank you for attending the #BCWinterClassic @jjhorgan ! #DefendTheNorth #CaribooHockey https://t.co/CRMFVrv0UJ
— Cariboo Cougars (@cariboocougars) January 20, 2020
