By Ethan Ready, with files from Jason Peters (Cariboo Hockey)

Cariboo Hockey Weekend

Cariboo Hockey Wrap: Capitals move back into 2nd place

Nov 1, 2021 | 10:51 AM

PRINCE GEORGE – The Cariboo Cougars bounced back from the sting of an overtime loss and took three of a possible four points from the Okanagan Rockets during weekend play in the BC Elite Hockey League.

The U18 Cougars beat the Rockets 4-2 on Sunday at Kin 1 after a 5-4 extra-time defeat on Saturday.

On Sunday, Max Sanford’s second goal of the game stood up as the winner. Sanford scored at 5:06 of the second period to give the Cats a 3-1 lead. His goal was timely because it came about four minutes after Okanagan’s Kurtis Kinoshita gave his team a spark by converting on a shorthanded penalty shot. Kinoshita then answered Sanford’s goal with one on the power play but Cariboo’s Tymon Sanikopoulos – also on a man-advantage situation – netted the only goal of the third period.

Sanford, a Williams Lake product and a prospect of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, opened the scoring just one minute after the opening faceoff. Affiliated player Reid Arberry pushed the Cariboo lead to 2-0 at the 5:33 mark of the first period.

The Cougars outshot the Rockets 16-5 in the first and 36-27 overall.

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In the nets, Tysen Smith picked up the win and Mason Gatz took the loss.

On Saturday, the Rockets scored a pair of quick goals to start the game and were up 4-2 after the first period. Carter Hesselgrave on a power play and Chase Pacheco got the Cougars back on even terms in the second period. But, after a scoreless third, Ben Strobel gave the Rockets the win 27 seconds into overtime.

Kinoshita and Ewan Minisofer got the Rockets off to the quick start in the first period. Caleb Poitras (power play) and Zachary Leslie responded for the Cougars but Kaiden Schaupmeyer and Kaslo Ferner (power play) restored Okanagan’s two-goal lead before the period ended.

Damien Knackstedt (Cougars) and Angelo Zol (Rockets) were between the pipes.

In the division standings, the Cougars are now 5-5-1-1, which has them seventh of 10 teams. The Rockets are eighth at 4-6-1-1.

The Cougars will continue their season next weekend in Richmond when they take on the third-place Greater Vancouver Canadians.

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In a battle for second place, Keira Vermeulen broke a third-period tie and the Northern Capitals sent the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers home with a pair of losses.

On Sunday at Kin 2, Vermeulen’s goal half way through the final period lifted the Capitals to a 3-2 victory in the BC Elite Hockey League’s U18 female division. The narrow win came after a 6-0 shutout on Saturday.

In the Sunday game, Tyra Rocha of the Lakers had pulled her team into a 2-2 tie but the deadlock only lasted a little more than a minute before Vermeulen cashed in for what proved to be the winner.

Maria Ayre scored for the Capitals in the first period, and Karington Mollin of the Lakers and Sarah Prestmo of the Caps exchanged goals in the second.

Goaltender Karsyn Niven earned the win for the Northern Capitals and Chelsea West took the loss.

In Saturday’s lopsided win, Keagan Goulet, Ayre and Brooklyn Hutchings each scored twice for the Capitals, who led 3-0 after the first period and 5-0 after the second. Hailey Armstrong chipped in offensively with three assists.

Sierra Eagles was in net for the shutout.

With the victories, the Capitals moved back into second place in the division. They now sit at 7-4-0-1, three points ahead of the 6-6-0-0 Lakers.

Next up, the Caps will host the Vancouver Island Seals in a three-game set. Games are Friday at 6:45 p.m. (Kin 1), Saturday at 6 p.m. (Kin 2) and Sunday at 8:15 a.m. (Kin 1).

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The U15 Cariboo Cougars got the result they wanted on Saturday but couldn’t take their momentum into Sunday.

In a BC Elite Hockey League doubleheader at the Kin Centre, the Cougars downed the South Island Royals 5-3 in the opener and lost 6-0 in the rematch.

Saturday goal-scorers for the Cougars were Brody Wood (2), Jack Tidsbury, Josh Gendron and Jaxon Larmand, while Hunter Henry added a pair of assists. Linden Hoskins, Aden Glenn and Parker MacDougall replied for the Royals.

The first period was scoreless and the Cougars led 3-2 after two.

Ryder Green was in goal for the victory and Callahan Cowan took the loss.

On Sunday, Cariboo shooters came up empty against Cowan, who got offensive support from Cale Kaufmann, Kyle Gibson, Ben Wetterberg, Ryan Helmkay, Sullivan Humeniuk and MacDougall.

In the 10-team division, the seventh-place Cougars have a 3-5-0-2 record. The ninth-place Royals sit at 2-8-0-0.

The Cougars will be in Richmond next weekend to face the third-place Greater Vancouver Canadians (5-1-1-1).

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The U17 Cariboo Cougars had a rough weekend against the Okanagan Rockets.

On the ice in Kelowna, the Cougars lost 7-1 on Saturday and 6-0 on Sunday. Seth Habsburg had the only Cariboo goal in the two games.

The third-place Rockets improved to 7-3-0-0 while the Cats, in eighth place out of 10 teams, dropped to 2-5-0-1. They’ll play the North Island Silvertips (2-8-0-0) on Saturday and Sunday in Richmond.