Northeast BC and Yukon Trackers’ head coach Brennan Giroux hopes that his team’s newfound confidence will help the squad moving forward after ending an eight-game losing streak Sunday, Dec. 2 with a 6-5 win over Grande Prairie in Fort St. John.

Giroux said ever since the club’s visit to Prince George for a Tier 1 midget tournament two weeks ago during a break in their league schedule, the Trackers have proven to themselves they can compete with the Northern Alberta Midget Hockey League’s (NAMHL) main contenders.

“The team’s confidence really improved over the Prince George weekend,” explained Giroux. “There they challenged some of the best teams in B.C. and came out of that tournament confident.”

The Trackers went 2-2-1 in Prince George with their best showing coming in a 4-4 draw against a top-five provincially ranked Coquitlam team.

Confidence may be all they need but it doesn’t assure them wins moving forward; and the Trackers will be tested this weekend as they head to Peace River to face the Royals for a single game on Sunday.

The Royals downed the Trackers 4-0 the last time the two teams met, despite the Trackers controlling the ice, according to Giroux.

“We dominated them the whole game but it was just another one of those games where we couldn’t bury the puck,” he said.

“We can’t say anything bad about Peace River, they are a good team, we can’t put that past them,” said Giroux about their rematch this weekend with the Royals who are second place in the North Black Division – a point behind the Storm and 12 ahead of the Trackers.

“In terms of our play we just need to stay focused and play the same game we played on Sunday versus the Storm,” added Giroux. “We need to just stay focused, avoid mental mistakes, keep our shifts short and play our game.”