Cougars thump Ice on weekend
A battle between one of the league’s top three clubs and its weakest team led to predictable results.
In Nelson on the weekend, the Cariboo Cougars swept the Kootenay Ice in a hockey doubleheader. The Cougars downed the home team in convincing fashion, shattering the Ice 8-2 on Saturday and 8-3 on Sunday.
The Cariboo squad improved its record to 24 wins, seven losses and one tie (24-7-1). They moved up to second place in the 11-team B.C. Major Midget League, nine points behind the division-leading Vancouver North West Giants (28-2-2).
In third place, the Okanagan Rockets sport a 21-4-5 mark. Although they’re two points behind the Cougars, the Rockets have a pair of games in hand.
The Cougars and Rockets will battle in a crucial doubleheader this weekend at CN Centre. Game times are set for 1 p.m. on Saturday and 10:15 a.m. on Sunday.
In Sunday’s game, Kootenay battled the Cougars close in the second period. After a bit of a lacklustre middle frame, the Cariboo squad carried a 5-3 lead into the third. But a three-goal period resulted in a clear victory for the visitors.
Jeremy Matte earned his third straight win in net for the Cougars on Sunday. They outshot the Ice 41-21.
Only eight dates remain on the Cougars’ 40-game regular-season schedule. The other three doubleheaders are set for: Feb. 9 and 10 against the Thompson Blazers (road); Feb. 23 and 24 against the South Island Royals (home); March 2 and 3 against the Vancouver North East Chiefs (road). Feb. 16 and 17 marks their second half bye weekend.
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