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Most kids grow up playing outdoor shinny, but it鈥檚 not everyday a competitive midget hockey team gets to play a fully-sanctioned hockey game on outdoor ice.

Such was the solo game treat for the Yukon鈥圡ustangs and visiting Notre Dame Hounds as they squared off in Game 2 of a five-game open series last weekend.

What had originally been planned as a tournament soon became a series between the Northern Hockey power and the Wilcox,鈥圫ask. famed hockey academy team after other camps had to drop out due to bus mechanical issues or scheduling conflicts, said Mustangs assistant coach Carl Burgess.

While some of the Mustangs had faced the Hounds in a tournament last year, there were many fresh faces as about two-thirds of this year鈥檚 team are first-year midgets.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting and fun for the players to see new teams that they don鈥檛 know who鈥檚 on the team; they don鈥檛 know how good they are,鈥� said Burgess. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting and brings everyone鈥檚 spirits up a bit.鈥�

The boost in energy was sorely needed by the Mustangs, who came home from a tournament in Alaska the weekend before with their spirits a little battered.

鈥淲hile they performed well, it was six close losses against some of the best teams in Alaska,鈥� said Burgess.

Many of the boys they faced were older and bigger than the Mustangs, as they played in an older age bracket than they鈥檙e used to.

Last Friday鈥檚 6-0 opening game against the Hounds certainly set the tone for a weekend of games.

Before the weekend was up, the Mustangs would outscore the Hounds 39-8 and sweep the open series 5-0.

鈥淭he boys kind of bonded together because the weekend before we had a really tough go and I think we all kind of got it together and brought our games and our leadership and our team play,鈥� said Mustangs centre Oscar Burgess.

Burgess had played the Hounds last year and knew to expect serious, physical hockey played with tenacity.

鈥淲e knew they were going to be a tough game and everyone kind of knows about Notre Dame, them being a really good hockey academy and a bunch of good players come from there,鈥� said Burgess.

That didn鈥檛 stop the Mustangs from playing their own game.

In their Saturday morning start, as the mercury flirted with -10 C, the boys skated at Mt. Lorne鈥檚 outdoor rink, sharing a bench, a wood stove and mom鈥檚 homemade hot chocolate between shifts.

Without glass around the rink, they played modified rules: no contact near the boards.

鈥淭he boys respected that and played fast, but not physical,鈥� said coach Burgess.

For many of the players, it was their first time playing a competitive game outside and Hounds head coach Adam Chernick wanted to keep it fun.

鈥淭oday it was just to have fun, soak up the experience and obviously to play hockey too,鈥� he said following the game, which the Hounds lost 7-4 (it was their highest scoring game of the series) as snow fell in thick flakes. 鈥淚t didn鈥檛 come with the outcome we wanted, but we had fun and that鈥檚 the biggest thing.鈥�

As the ice was flooded mid-game, players stuck their heads out of the bench, displacing the thick plastic flaps keeping the hot air inside.

鈥淚t was amazing. It was the first time I鈥檝e ever done anything like this,鈥� said Mac Ducharme, right wing for the Hounds.

鈥淚t was awesome. Unbelievable experience.鈥�

The snow began to fall as the crowd around the ice got bigger late in the third period.

Players steamed from their jerseys as the buzzer went off and they stepped off the ice.

They piled into trucks and vans, off to fill their stomachs with warm lunch and, for the Hounds, to enjoy a soak in the Takhini Hot Springs before the unrelenting schedule pitted them against each other once again in Game 3 that evening.

The Hounds would drop the next three games: 11-0; 7-1; 8-3 before heading back to Saskatchewan.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a little bit rough,鈥� said Ducharme of the five-game, three-day series, after the outdoor game. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be tired when we go home, but it鈥檚 all fun and good.鈥�