CARLYLE - It was a tough stretch for the Carlyle Cougars U15 and U18 teams as they played their games in the south finals in provincials.
The U15 Cougars travelled by bus to meet the Lumsden Lions for an afternoon game on March 8 for Game 1 of the south final.
After the U15 Cougars took down Moosomin in round 1 and Canora in round 2, they were averaging 6 1/2 goals per game, while holding their opponents to just 2 3/4.
After three hard periods of playing hockey, the Cougars fell short, losing 5-3.
The U15 team will play in Carlyle on March 15. But they lost 11-1.
This was a do-or-die game for the Carlyle team. If they would have won, it would have brought the series to a tie and into the modified third game, right after Game 2.
The loss ended their season.
As for the U18 Cougars, they played on March 9 in Carlyle. It was also an afternoon game, and attendance was near capacity, as they played off against the Lumsden Lions in game one of the south final.
Only seconds into the game Cougars' captain Jaden Fischer shot one past Lumsden’s goaltender. This sent the crowd into an uproar.
Into the second period Lumsden had two quick goals giving them a 2-1 lead.
By the third period Carlyle was outshooting Lumsden 24-15, and later in the period they tied up the game.
With just over two minutes remaining in the game, Lumsden scored once more, and held on for a 3-2 win.
The next game was in Lumsden on March 15 at 2:30 p.m. This was also a do-or-die game for the Cougars. The teams played to a 6-6 tie, so Lumsden advanced.
