The Vankleek Hill Cougars are clawing their way towards the finals in the National Capital Junior Hockey League.
The Cougars grounded the Metcalfe Jets in the quarter finals round and began their semi-finals series against the Westport Rideaus by clipping their opponents 4-3 in Sunday’s road game.
“On the road and we win, so it’s a big win,” said Cougars General Manager Franky Dopelhamer during a phone interview.
The Cougars finished the regular NCJHL season with third place overall in the league. Dopelhamer expressed satisfaction with the result.
“We’re very happy,” he said. “It was a good season.”
Westport took second place in the league standings, finishing one point ahead of Vankleek Hill. Dopelhamer anticipates the Cougars will have a good series of games in their semi-finals bout with the Rideaus.
“They’re similar to us, but I think we’re faster than them,” he said, adding that the way to win against Westport is to beat them to the puck and stay ahead of them on the ice. “Speed is key.”
Dopelhamer described this season’s Cougars as an all-round team.
“We’re comfortable as a group,” he said. “Anybody can score and we’ve got a blend of everything. We can match skill, we can match toughness. We’re happy where we are.”
This Friday the Cougars have a road game against Westport. Saturday evening the Cougars host their first home game of the semi-finals against the Rideaus.
