Biathletes show well at Olympic Park
The Caledonia Nordic Ski Club was well represented at Whistler Olympic Park on the weekend.
The Callaghan Winter Sports Club hosted the first Biathlon BC Cup event of the season. Fifteen members of the Caledonia club were among those who competed. The Prince George group was supported by 13 coaches and parents.
Under temperatures in the -4 to -2 Celsius range, participants competed in a sprint event on Saturday and pursuit on Sunday. The sprint has three laps of a ski loop ranging between 700m and 3,000m with a shooting bout between each loop. The pursuit includes four shooting bouts and five laps of skiing.
Participants at the Biathlon BC Cup were as young as eight (midgets). The competition also featured Master’s divisions for skiers 30 and over. The event attracted 100 participants from Nordic clubs throughout B.C., including Vancouver Island.
The Caledonia participants took home five gold, three silver and three bronze medals. Medal recipients, with category in parentheses, included: Claire Lapointe (senior girls) - two gold; Bobby Kreitz (junior boys) - one gold, one silver; Emily Dickson (youth women) - one gold; Logan Sherba (junior boys) - one gold; Leah Forsdick (youth women) - one silver, one bronze; Quinn Neil (midget) - one silver, one bronze; and Hayden Neil (juvenile boys) - one bronze.
Other Caledonia participants were Erik Hoffman, Ariadne Douglas, Peter Hoffman, Mark Hartley, Josiah Fisher, Colton MacDougal and Jody Hoffman.
The next Biathlon BC Cup is scheduled for West Kelowna from Feb. 8 to 10. The Caledonia Nordic Ski Club will play host to the B.C. Championships, scheduled for Feb. 22 to 24 at the Otway Nordic Centre. These events include selection races for choosing the provincial team competing in the national championships, which will unfold at Whistler Olympic Park in March.
Minor hockey
The hosts came close, but ultimately fell short.
The Prince George Peewee Tier 1 Cougars couldn’t capture the title at a weekend hockey tournament at the Kin Centre. In the final, they lost 6-5 to Dawson Creek.
Two other teams competed in the event, the Prince George Integris Credit Union Peewee Tier 2 Cougars and Omineca All-Stars.
The Integris Credit Union team is back at the Kin Centre to host another hockey tournament this weekend. Action gets underway today, with the competition ending with Sunday’s championship game.
Other teams competing this weekend are Williams Lake, Quesnel, Kamloops, Terrace, Smithers, Kitimat and Dawson Creek.
Spruce Kings
The Prince George Spruce Kings are back on home ice this weekend.
In a B.C. Hockey League doubleheader, the Spruce Kings will welcome the Coquitlam Express to the Coliseum. Game times are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The Spruce Kings entered Wednesday evening’s road game against the Chilliwack Chiefs with 19 wins, 14 losses, one tie and six overtime defeats (19-14-1-6). They were third in the five-team Mainland Division with 45 points.
Cariboo Cougars
For the second consecutive weekend, the Cariboo Cougars will play hockey away from home.
The Cougars meet the Kootenay Ice in a B.C. Major Midget League doubleheader in Nelson. Game times are set for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and 9:15 a.m. on Sunday.
The Cariboo squad sports a record of 22 wins, seven losses and one tie (22-7-1). They’re tied with the Okanagan Rockets (20-3-5) with 45 points, although the Rockets have two games in hand.
Continuing to lead the 11-team BCMML standings, the Vancouver North West Giants (26-2-2) have collected 54 points.
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