The Carman Cougars high school hockey team had an incredible run, including a provincials appearance and a berth in the Manitoba High School Athletic Association Zone 4 hockey league finals.
After finishing in second place in the Zone 4 regular season standings and a pair of tournament victories throughout the winter. In the first round of the Zone 4 playoffs, the Cougars promptly dispatched the W.C. Miller (Altona) Aces in two straight games with 10-1 and 3-0 wins.
In the semi-finals, the Cougars defeated the Morris Mavericks two games to one after winning a decisive 3-2 battle in Game 3.
In the league finals last week, the Cougars sadly went down in two straight games to the Morden Thunder by 5-1 and 8-3 scorelines to end their season. The Morden Thunder will now go on to represent the Zone 4 Hockey League at the MHSAA ‘AAAA’ Provincial Championships in Winnipeg from March 14-17.
The Carman Cougars season was also highlighted nicely as they hosted and participated in the 2025 Dairy Farmers of Manitoba’ AA’ Provincial Hockey Championships from Feb. 27 to March 1.
The Cougars had a great round-robin at provincials, winning both games against Virden and Morris to put them first in their pool. From there, they played Hamiota in the semi-finals, had another excellent game with great goaltending, and came out on top with a 4-0 win.
In the finals, it was a rematch against the Morris Mavericks, and they got the better of Carman by getting out to an early lead and winning 4-1.
“We had another forward leave the game due to injury, so that put us down three of our regular forwards, so it was just tough to find chemistry,” said Cougar’s head coach, Michael Hetherington. “All in all, it was a great weekend at provincials for our guys, and we’re happy with their effort. We wish the results were different in the league finals, too, but it was still a great season overall, and I’m very pleased with this group.”
