Kootenay Wildcats waste opportunity as Cougars grab three of four road points
By The Nelson Daily Sports
The Kootenay Wildcats just saw a perfect opportunity to climb up the B.C. Hockey Female Midget AAA standings slip through their fingers.
The Prince George Cougars rallied from two deficits to steal three points from the Wildcats during the two-game B.C. Hockey Female Midget AAA League series in Nelson.
Sunday, the Cougars fought back from a 1-0 third-period deficit to tie the Cats 1-1 at the NDCC Arena.
Saturday, Prince George climbed out of the gutter to outscore the host club 5-1 en route to a 5-4 victory at the Civic Centre Arena.
The three points moves Prince George one point ahead of Kootenay in league standings.
Prince George started the weekend in last place in the league, a point in front of the fourth-place Wildcats.
“Of course this is frustrating, but you don’t win that long to win a hockey game,” said Kootenay head coach Carey Fisher after the game.
The Cats’ skipper was talking about the buzzer beater that Kootenay was denied in the final seconds of the game.
A shot by Kootenay forward Kira Streliev rang off the crossbar before bouncing down into the goal crease a second before the game ended.
Fisher and most of the Cats thought puck bounced across the goal line but the referee ruled no goal.
Later, fans told Fisher the Prince George goalie smothered the puck in the goal crease.
“We had tons of chances in this game but we hit their goalie in the chest with most of our shots,” Fisher lamented.
“I don’t what the final shot count was, even though we had way more penalties then them I pretty sure we outshot them.”
The game was scoreless through two periods before Kootenay got on the board.
Adrianne Erichsen pounced on a loose puck in front of the Kootenay goal before drilling a low shot into the Prince George net past goalie Kourtney Trudeau.
However, seconds after the celebration ended, Prince George tied the game up when team leading scorer Madison Fjellstrom was left all alone in front of the Kootenay goal before burying a top-shelf shot past Castlegar’s Morgan Flynn.
Saturday, Kootenay held a 3-0 lead in the second period before Prince George stormed back.
Krysten Franz put the dagger into the backs of the Wildcats, scoring the winner in the third period.
Streliev of Nakusp, Trail’s Mckayla Yuris, Jenna Wheeldon of Nelson and Denomie Vockeroth-Fisher of Rossland scored for the Wildcats.
Lauren Biggs of Salmo took the loss in goal for Kootenay.
“I hugely disappointed in the outcome of both games,” Fisher lamented. “I mean you go up 3-0 and let them claw their way back into it and all of a sudden you losing 5-4 and have to scrambled to try to tie the game. . .. That’s really disappointing.”
The Wildcats have a few off weeks to lick their wounds before making the long trek to Prince George February 16-17 to face the Cougars.
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