麻豆社区

Mustang pride was front and centre during the inaugural Hockey Day in Whitehorse celebrations, held Saturday at Takhini Arena.

The local rep hockey teams hosted the Juneau Capitals and Aldergrove Bruins in a three-day weekend tournament, highlighted by Saturday's jam-packed schedule.

"We want to have these big hockey events in town,鈥� said Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association president Carl Burgess. "We haven't had a major invite tournament for some time. We had all divisions playing today, four years old to 17 years old. Every team in our league played today. The reason we do it is to get everyone together and to create as much excitement and community feel as possible.鈥�

While the Peewee Mustangs easily handled the Juneau Capitals, the Bantam and Midget Mustangs struggled against Aldergrove, with both teams finishing 0-3.

The Juneau team was made up of the Alaskan capital's entire Peewee division 鈥� 17 players, including four girls, and two goalies.

The home team defeated the Capitals by scores of 10-1 and 9-0, before mixing the two teams for Sunday's friendly, which the Capitals won 10-5.

"We're not a hockey town,鈥� said Capitals head coach Arnold Liebelt of Juneau.

"Whitehorse is a hockey town. You can tell.

"Coming up here is a fantastic experience for these kids, mostly because they don't get to play a lot of competition. We knew we were the underdogs and what we were going up against, but the learning experience is incredible. They get to see what they can be if they work at it. That's huge.鈥�

The Capitals endured "the ferry ride from hell鈥� from Juneau to Skagway Friday morning, and many players were suffering from seasickness prior to their first game that night, which the Alaskans arrived for just in time.

"We were going against 15-foot swells and 75-mile-an-hour winds,鈥� Liebelt said of his team's journey to Whitehorse.

Regardless of the tumultuous journey and lopsided losses, the Alaskan coach said his team enjoyed a "positive experience鈥� in the Yukon.

"The Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association has been very accommodating,鈥� Liebelt said. "We hope we get invited back here sometime.鈥�

The Bantam Aldergrove Bruins coaches echoed those sentiments.

"We've just had a great time,鈥� said coach George Walter. "This is an awesome experience for all the kids.鈥�

The Bruins swept the weekend from the Mustangs, who were coming off a championship win in Winfield, B.C., last weekend. Aldergrove won by scores of 6-2, 4-3, and 8-3.

"You can see they don't get as much competition as we do, but we knew they would adjust,鈥� coach Lance DeWaal said after Saturday's contest.

The visiting players billeted with local families, adding to their unique northern experience.

"These kids are all friends during the day, and then it's warfare at night,鈥� DeWaal chuckled. "It was very, very physical. As physical as we've played.鈥�

Joe Walter, son of former NHL player Ryan Walter, served as the Bruins acting head coach for the weekend.

The Midget Mustangs also dropped all three games to Aldergrove, by scores of 8-2, 3-2 and 3-1.

Saturday's contest was marred by controversy after Mustangs' captain Mike Arnold left the game following a knee-on-knee collision late in the second period.

Some heated exchanges followed, and head referee Bud Arnold, Mike's father, left the game shortly after assessing an Aldergrove player a match penalty. Referee

Gary Seed replaced Arnold to finish the game.

"We found a resolve,鈥� said Mustangs head coach Kerry Pettitt. "After the break, we tried to dial down the kids. It's a tough thing.鈥�

Following the game, the younger Arnold said it was "pretty cool鈥� to be playing in front of the home crowd.

"It was great for the community to see everyone's faces,鈥� he said. "We only get to do it once in a while. It's awesome to see the crowd. It kind of boosts us up on the bench. Most people wouldn't admit that, but it definitely gets us going.鈥�

Arnold was able to recover in time to play Sunday.

Burgess said the local tournament allows players a rare chance to shine against their own age level in the Yukon capital.

"There's a little extra buzz,鈥� he said. "We have a bigger crowd than they play in front of all year. Their friends are here. The excitement of having Outside teams here adds to that. They get to play with their peers and showcase their talents.鈥�

On Saturday morning, a pancake breakfast at Takhini Arena saw thousands of pancakes enjoyed by players and parents.

At least three celebrity chefs were on hand, including Premier Darrell Pasloski, Deputy Premier Elaine Taylor, and Economic Development and Environment minister Currie Dixon. Pasloski and Taylor also participated in the official opening ceremonies.

A BBC film crew was on hand to take in some of the Midget Mustangs action. The four-person crew was filming the final installment of the series Fierce Earth, which will go to air in February.