The Carman Cougars high school hockey team were victorious at the recent 52nd Annual Cougars Hockey Tournament in Carman, where they went a perfect 3-0 to win the event on Nov. 16. It’s their second tournament that they’ve won now in this 2024-25 season.
The Cougars hosted the four-team tournament, which used a points system (3 points for a win, 2 for an overtime win, 1 for an overtime loss) because of the shortage of teams. The four teams participating were Carman, Niverville, Warren and Portage.
“It ended up working out perfectly as the last game of the tournament had us and Niverville playing who were both 2-0 going into the game, so it made it a winner-take-all for the tournament,” said Cougars’ head coach Michael Hetherington.
The first two periods were back-and-forth and finished with Carman up 4-3 going into the third period. The Cougars’ players really turned it on from there in the third period as they scored five unanswered goals to win 9-3.
“Overall, it was great getting our tournament back this year. The players had a blast, and being able to win it was a bonus. A huge thanks to our management for getting the tournament back on and also to all the volunteers that helped make it possible.”
Standard Photos by Lana Meier
The season has also been going well for the Cougars so far. They’re currently 7-1-1, which is good for second place in the Zone 4 league. Most recently, on Nov. 18, the Cougars defeated the Mountain Mustangs by a 3-1 score.
“Our only regulation loss was our first game of the season, and I think we’ve come a long way since then,” said Hetherington. “A combination of scoring through the lineup and fantastic goaltending from both of our goaltenders have been key parts to our success. The exciting part is that the coaching staff, as a whole, feels we still have another level that we can get to. That being said, we need to keep working and learning because other teams are right behind us in the standings looking to move up as well.”
The Cougars hosted their Hockey Fights Cancer game on Nov. 25. Carman was on the road on Nov. 29 to play the W.C. Miller Aces in Altona. The puck drops at 8 p.m.
