After starting the camp on a cold and windy Wednesday match vs the Alberta U17 Regional squad, the warm sunny temperatures were very welcome over the weekend matches.
In camp 1, the Cougars earned a 2-1 result against a junior U17 provincial select squad. The match wasn't the greatest quality with the weather conditions but the Cougars managed to hang on for the result with some slick finishing by Kinzner.
On Friday, the team conducted an intra-squad match of 9v9. This match was a training event to get the team to come together and compete. We were looking for players that made a difference.
On Saturday and Sunday, the Cougars put together two loses. On Saturday, the squad lost 3-1 and on Sunday lost 4-3. As much as losing can be hard on the ego, it is a great evaluator of talent and areas that need improvement.
Our summer program is not about winning, rather development to prepare us for the fall season. That is not to downplay the losses. I don't enjoy when the score is greater than two goals but I have to appreciate that the team is evaluating players and sometimes the full squad is not present or players are playing out of 'regular' position.
Overall, I was pleased with the weekend and will be looking forward to the upcoming Champions League Matches in two weeks time. This will be a great test for the current squad.
Mt Royal Cougars
