The accomplishments from last season will serve as motivation as the Cariboo Cougars club looks for their identity.
Having wrapped up five days of ice sessions at Prince George’s Elksentre on Sunday, the 20-man roster is nearly set. The deadline to have their final roster in is set for September 15.
A few players are still attending junior hockey camps, a factor that could still affect the ultimate look of the Cougars this season. If those players don’t return, the Cariboo coaching staff believes they have plenty of talent in uniform, especially following the weekend’s exhibition games against the Everett Junior Silvertips.
In five games, spread between Friday and Sunday, the Cougars showed themselves as a relentless, puck-pursuing squad with a blend of offensive skill, defensive smarts and ability, and reliable goaltending. The Cats used their speed to create an up-tempo pace in all areas of the ice and left the impression they will be tough to handle this season in the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League.
“Every year we build for a contender, every year we want to go to the Telus Cup,” said general manager Trevor Sprague, about the national midget championship tournament, which the Cougars hosted in 2017 after they had already claimed the playoff championship in the BCHMML. “We’ve done it once to go to the Telus Cup – we won the year and kind of had the bye to it. At the end of the day that’s one thing this franchise really hasn’t done yet, is to earn a spot in the Telus Cup and I think, potentially, we have the guys in the room right now to be able to do it.”
The Cougars were playoff champions last season as well but fell short of the national tournament when they lost to the Calgary Buffaloes in the Pacific final.
The Cougars will raise their 2019 playoff championship banner on September 21 as they start their regular season hosting the Thompson Blazers at Kin 1 in Prince George.
Opening night puck drop is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
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