Cariboo Cougars clinch Mac’s Midget trophy

It was only only yesterday but another year and another place. The Cariboo Cougars were the 3rd Wild Card team. Last to qualify for the quarter finals of the AAA Mac’s Midget World Invitational Championship. It looked like a tough uphill trip for them but they came up with the goods against the U17 German Nationals, winning convincingly by a score of 5-1. Then came the semis, played just a few hours later. The BC side took that one in overtime against locals Calgary Buffalos giving them a spot in the final versus the Regina Pat Canadians.

The New Year’s Day game was played out on famed ice, the Saddledome no less, where just the night before the NHL Calgary Flames had beaten their Alberta rivals, the Edmonton Oilers. Playing white as Home team, Wesley Shipton took the lead for the Cougars in the first period before Owen Sillinger pulled one back for the Pats.

That remained the score through to the end of regular time, thanks in big part to the stellar performance once again of Cougars goalie Griffen Outhouse. Ten minutes extra played out with no further score but plenty of tension around the nets. Outhouse simply got hotter. Second OT came up and with 18:37 on the clock, Chase Dubois shot one in from the right side boards and under the blocker of Pats goalie Curtis Meger.

Caribou Cougars are the champions of the 37th Annual Mac’s Midget AAA hockey tournament.

J. Ashley Nixon Photography