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The smile on nine-year-old Noah Gilbert's face said it all.

During last night's NHL charity pre-game festivities at Takhini Arena, Ottawa Senators' forward Chris Neil flipped a puck over the glass, and it eventually ended up in the hands of the young fan wearing his Senators' jersey. Gilbert held onto the puck for the rest of the game.

The Grade 4 student at Whitehorse Elementary School was at the game with his mom, Liz, also in a Senators' jersey. While the Gilberts have attended a few Senators games and many more Ottawa 67's games in Ottawa prior to moving to Whitehorse last year, they were never closer to their favourite players than last night.

"Dad waited in line Saturday to get us tickets,鈥� Liz Gilbert said of her husband, David.

"A hundred dollars,鈥� her son quickly added. "Looks like it was worth it. Very worth it.鈥�

The Gilberts were two of 1,400 fans who filed into a jam-packed rink to see some NHL talent up close.

On the other end of the age spectrum, 92-year-old Wanita Johnson had a front-row seat to the action.

The new Whitehorse resident attended the game with her daughter, Linda Johnson, who was wearing a Senators jersey with Heatley sewn on the back.

Johnson, a long-time Whitehorse resident, was excited to repay the favour to her mom, who most recently lived in Ottawa.

"We used to always go to the games in Ottawa when I would go down there,鈥� the younger Johnson told the Star. "We're missing hockey.鈥�

The game itself had its share of thrills for those in attendance, including 11 goals and plenty of hockey talent 鈥� both NHL and local.

The NHL players were split into two squads, and were spelled off by local players. In the first period, the Bantam Mustangs played every other shift. In the second period, it was the Midget Mustangs, and the rec league all-stars got a chance to play in front of the crowd in the third.

Team Black consisted of fan-favourite Jordin Tootoo, Zack Smith and Peter Regin, defencemen Marc Methot and Phil Harry, and goalie Craig Anderson. Harry plays in the local rec league with the A Division Air North team.

Team White was made up of Chris Neil, Guillaume Latendresse, Chris Phillips, Grant Clitsome and German-league goalie Adam Courchaine. After Winnipeg Jets' centre Jim Slater left the tour to spend the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday with his family, rec A's leading scorer Derek Klassen got the call to centre Neil and Latendresse.

The 26-year-old Yukon Brewing 麻豆社区finished the game with two assists as Team White won 6-5.

"It's pretty cool,鈥� Klassen said. "You never expect it sitting in Whitehorse, working, playing rec league. And all of a sudden a guy asks you to play with a bunch of guys who play in the National Hockey League. It's pretty neat to be playing against these guys.鈥�

Klassen, a former Division 1 player in Fairbanks, Alaska, didn't look out of place, but admitted his NHL linemates weren't playing at full speed.

Latendresse opened the scoring less than three minutes into the first period, with a quick wrist shot over Anderson's glove.

Regin tied the game soon after, converting a pretty pass from Methot past Courchaine.

Smith put Black up 2-1 just before the first period ended. Tootoo picked up assists on both goals.

The second period was a low-scoring affair, but Latendresse managed to tie the game late in the frame with his second goal of the contest.

Goals came fast and furious in the third period, however.

Regin's second of the game put Black up 3-2, but local Air North 麻豆社区Evan Campbell knotted things up 3-3 with a shot that eluded Anderson.

Neil put White up 4-3 when he blew a slapshot from the hashmarks past the Senators starting goalie.

Regin's hat trick goal tied things up at 4-4, but that didn't last long.

A quick goal by Clitsome, a Winnipeg Jets' defenceman, and Neil's second of the game put White up for good.

Team Black turned it up, and Tootoo rang a puck off the post with just over a minute left in the contest. Smith's second goal of the game with 36 seconds left wouldn't be enough.

Tootoo, a native of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, was the clear favourite for those in attendance. The 29-year-old Detroit Red Wings' forward said the Arctic tour was a humbling experience for him. It marked his first games North of 60 in 17 years.

"It's always great to be back in the North. It definitely brings back a lot of memories,鈥� he said. "It's a great honour to be a role model for a lot of these young guys coming up. I was in their shoes once upon a time, and for me just to chat with the kids and put a smile on their faces really makes me happy. That's what keeps me down to earth.鈥�

While players on the tour remain frustrated with stalled NHL labour talks, the lockout has provided a chance for players to give back with events like charity tours.

"It's nice to be on the road. We've been having a blast,鈥� said Smith, a 24-year-old Senators forward. "One of the things about the lockout is we probably wouldn't have a chance to come up here in the winter.鈥�

Local Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association president Carl Burgess said 1,400 tickets sold for the game, putting the arena at close to capacity. That puts total gate revenues at $70,000. That money will be split between the local hockey association and tour organizer John Chabot's First Assist charity.

Further concessions were raised through the beer gardens, the 50/50 raffle, and pizza and chili sales. The beer gardens sold-out prior to the third period.

"Everybody sold out of everything,鈥� Burgess said. "The pizza and chili was gone.鈥�

The Whitehorse Food Bank collected non-perishable food items at the game, and will receive a monetary donation in the coming weeks.

"We're tickled about the opportunity we got here,鈥� Burgess said. "We put this together in two weeks. Everyone came out. You could really feel the Whitehorse hockey community in the arena.

"It just shows you how much hockey means in Whitehorse.鈥�