Fusion posts weekend sweep of Wildcats, Kootenay hosts PG as playoffs begin next weekend at NDCC Arena
By Bruce Fuhr
It’s not the way the Kootenay Wildcats wanted to complete the B.C. Female Midget AAA Hockey League season.
The Vancouver Fusion pulled off a two-game sweep of the Cats, winning 2-1 Saturday and 6-1 Sunday at the NDCC Arena.
The two losses means Kootenay will finish fourth in the five-team league and host Prince George Cougars in a best-of-three playoffs series beginning Friday in Nelson.
“We were hoping with a couple of wins this weekend that we’d be able to move into third,” said Kootenay head coach Carey Fisher.
Kootenay, finishing the season with a 7-18-3 record, entered the weekend in fourth spot, trailing third-place Fusion by three points in league standings.
However, Saturday, a fluke goal that went off the hand of a Kootenay player, allowed Vancouver to skate away with a narrow one-goal victory.
Sunday, Vancouver exploded in the third period to build a 6-0 lead before Shea Weighill of Nakusp powered a shot into the net for Kootenay’s only marker.
The third period explosion came after Kootenay fired 19 shots in the second at the Vancouver goalie with no luck around the net.
Lauren Biggs of Salmo was in goal for both games.
The Kootenay/Prince George series begins Friday at 6:15 p.m. in the NDCC Arena.
Game two goes Saturday.
If necessary, game three is scheduled for Sunday morning.
KOOTENAY NOTES: The Wildcats lost the services of regular goalie Kayla Keriaff of Castlegar for the season due to a previous commitment. That meant the team needed to find a goalie to complete the season. Enter Lauren Biggs into the equation. . . . Shea Weighill finished the season as Kootenays leading scorer.
