The Cariboo Cougars have extended their unbeaten streak to seven games with a 5-3 win over the Okanagan Rockets in a game with huge playoff implications.

The win is the Cats third straight and extends their lead for second place over the Rockets to four points with Okanagan holding two games in hand.

Brad Morrison opened scoring 11:27 into the first pouncing on a Kirk Hards rebound.  Just three and a half minutes later, Liam Blackburn scored off a nice feed from Logan Styler for his third shorthanded goal in the last two games to put the Cats up 2-0.

But the Rockets came out blazing to start the second as Joe Gatenby scored just 15 seconds in to cut the lead in half.  Spencer Hewson then tied the game just over two minutes later.  The Cougars re-took the lead at the 13:44 mark with Hards' ninth of the season on the power play as the Cats took a one goal lead into the final period.

Stephen Penner blasted a point shot past Rockets netminder Reid Kilburn on the power play midway through the third to go up 4-2.  Styler scored a power play goal of his own five minutes later and with the assist, Blackburn tied Brett Bulmer's team record for points in a single season with 63.  The Rockets got a late power play goal with just over three minutes left but that was all they could muster as the Cats record improves to 25-7-1.  Nathan Warren stopped 40 shots for the win, his 16th on the season.

The Cougars went 3/4 on the power play while also scoring a shorthanded goal allowing one goal against on five Rocket power plays.  All this without the services of forwards Braiden Epp, Tyler Povelofskie, Ryan Forbes, Eli Jarvis, and Tre Potskin.  Justin Schwing, Cole Morris, and Brogan O'Brien played their first major midget game as affiliates for the Cats and will all dress again Sunday while Jarvis and Epp also return to the lineup.

The Cats go for the season series win and weekend sweep of the Rockets Sunday at 10:15am at CN Centre.  With a win, the Cougars would be six points clear of the Rockets and hold the standings tie-breaker.

The Cariboo Cougars are back at home hosting the slumping Okanagan Rockets in a crucial weekend series with potential playoff implications.

The Cats are working on a six game unbeaten streak and sit two points ahead of the Rockets in second place in the BCMML.  The Rockets, however, hold two games in hand and have the chance to make up their lost ground on the Cougars in their final two meetings of the regular season.  But Okanagan will have to reverse what has been an uncharacteristic difficult past two weeks in which the team has gone 1-2-1 including losses to the ninth place Thompson Blazers and tenth place Fraser Valley Thunderbirds.

In what could be a battle to determine who gains second place in the standings come the end of the season, the Cats and Rockets split their previous weekend series in Kelowna with the Rockets taking a 5-1 win followed by the Cougars most dominating performance of the year the next day with an 8-0 shutout.

The weekend set also features two of the most powerful offences in the league with the Cougars scoring the second most goals with 160 and the Rockets fourth most with 146.  Both clubs also have some of the best goal differentials with the Rockets allowing the second least number of goals with 75 and the Cougars the third least with 80 as the Cats have scored exactly twice as many goals as they have allowed.

It will be a tough assignment for the forward group on the home town bench with five players serving suspensions as a result of last Saturday's melee with the Kootenay Ice.  Braiden Epp, Tyler Povelofskie, Eli Jarvis, Tre Potskin, and Ryan Forbes will all miss Saturday's contest with the Rockets while Epp and Jarvis will be eligible to return Sunday.  Head coach Trevor Sprague is also serving a suspension as a result of the brawl and will not be behind the bench this weekend.

Saturday's game is set for a 1:00pm start at CN Centre with Sunday's final regular season matchup between the two at 10:15am.  Both can be viewed live at cariboocougars.ca

The Cariboo Cougars overpowered the Kootenay Ice for the second straight game earning the weekend sweep with an 8-3 victory at the Nelson and District Community Complex Sunday.

After going up 4-0 to start Saturday's tilt, it was the Ice who struck first Sunday as Michael Viala beat Jeremy Matte just over two minutes into the frame. The Cougars responded quickly, however, as Brad Morrison tied the game on the power play at 7:13 of the first before Liam Blackburn scored his first of the game just over a minute later. Logan Styler and Jordan Low with his first as a Cariboo Cougar put the Cats up 4-1.

The Ice got one back with two minutes to go in the opening frame but Jesse Roach scored his first Major Midget League goal less than a minute later pouncing on a Thane Anderson rebound to restore the three goal lead heading into the second.

Midway through the second the Ice got their third goal of the game, the most they've put by the Cats in any of their four meetings this season.

After a bit of a lacklustre second, the Cougars came out storming in the final 20 minutes as Blackburn scored his second of the game, shorthanded from Styler three and a half minutes in. Less than three minutes later Morrison notched his second of the game before Blackburn got his second shorthanded marker for his first hattrick of the season to put the Cats up 8-3.

Jeremy Matte earned his third straight win in net with the Cougars outshooting the Ice 41-21.

The Cats have won five of their last six games omproving their record to 24-7-1. With an Okanagan Rockets loss to the Thompson Blazers, the Cougars now have sole possession of second place in the BCMML.

The Cats are back home next weekend hosting those Rockets in a key weekend series with serious playoff seed implications.

The Cariboo Cougars scored six first period goals en route to an 8-2 drubbing of the Kootenay Ice in Nelson.

Seven different Cats found the back of the net in a record setting game for Liam Blackburn who with an assist on Logan Styler's first period goal set a new team record for helpers in a single season with 38 beating Seb Lloyd's previous record set in 2010-11.

Thane Anderson also had a memorable game scoring his first goal as a Cariboo Cougar early in the first to put the Cats up 1-0.  Braiden Epp scored his team leading 24th of the season just over a minute later to take a 2-0 lead.  Styler and Tre Potskin scored a minute and a half apart midway through the frame to go up 4-0 before the Ice got one back at the 12:22 mark.  Cougar captain Ryan Forbes blasted one past Adam Maida on the power play to restore the four goal lead while Eli Jarvis added another with less than a second on the clock as the Cats took a 6-1 lead into the second period.

Blackburn added his 19th of the year early in the second while Forbes scored his second of the game early in the third on the power play to put the Cats up 8-1.  The Cougars penalty kill was working overtime but working effectively killing off eight penalties before the parade to the box cost the Cats late in the third when the Ice scored their second of the game on the man advantage with just 15 seconds left.

As the two teams left the benches for the traditional handshakes after the game, a bruhaha erupted with multiple simultaneous fights involving several players from each team.  After all was sorted out, three Ice players and four Cougars were handed automatic one-game suspensions for fighting and/or game misconducts.  As a result, Cougar forwards Jarvis, Potskin, Forbes, and Tyler Povelofskie will not be eligible to play in Sunday's rematch with the Ice.

Jeremy Matte stopped 20 of 22 shots for his eighth win of the season.  The Cats record now stands at 23-7-1 as the team remains in a tie with the Okanagan Rockets for second place in the BCMML.

Puckdrop Sunday is set for 9:15am at the Nelson Community Complex.