Photo by Marcel Vander Wier
SAVES A GOAL 鈥� CAFN Storm forward Robbie Stuckey, centre, reaches back to keep a puck out of his team鈥檚 net after it squeaked through goalie Rob Young during the A division final of the Kilrich/Northerm Yukon Native Hockey Tournament yesterday.
Photo by Marcel Vander Wier
STANDING ROOM ONLY 鈥� Crowds flocked to Takhini Arena this weekend to take in the hockey action.
Photo by Marcel Vander Wier
TIMELY SAVE 鈥� Gwich鈥檌n Spitfires goalie Josh Tetlichi denies a Jr. Inland Tlingit Warriors player during the jamboree final. Jonas Leas was the only player able to beat him.
Photo by Marcel Vander Wier
CLOSE CALL 鈥� Gwich鈥檌n Braves forward Oscar Sawicki, left, is denied by Jr. Tahltan Selects defender Aedan Conlon and goalie Torin Comiskey during the youth final.
Photo by Marcel Vander Wier
MERCY RULE 鈥� Darrell Porter of the Kaska Warriors sneaks between Champagne Aishihik Bruins defenders Shane Oakley, left, and Michael Jim, right, during the old-timer final Sunday at Takhini Arena. The Warriors won their third straight title, beating the Bruins 10-2 on a mercy rule.
Photo by Marcel Vander Wier
REASON TO CELEBRATE 鈥� Members of the Inland Tlingit Warriors pile onto goalie Yougie Blackburn after winning the B division title over the Lower Post Eagles 9-5 at Takhini Arena. Mike Arnold sniped a hat trick in the win, which earned the team $4,500.
The most-anticipated hockey tournament of the year came to a thrilling end for the A division EGT鈥圢anooks last night.
The most-anticipated hockey tournament of the year came to a thrilling end for the A division EGT鈥圢anooks last night.
The Nanooks, from Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., successfully defended their 2014 title by crushing the hometown CAFN鈥圫torm 8-3 in front of a packed house at Takhini Arena.
Cody Pederson scored three goals and had two assists to lead the Nanooks to glory, while Shaquille Merasty netted a pair and Gerald Desjarlais, Brett Dudar and Max Kotokak added singles in what turned into a blowout win.
鈥淲e had a slow start to the tournament, but we came out on top,鈥� said Pederson, 27, from Buffalo Narrows, Sask.
鈥淭oday, all of our boys were ready to play and we came out really strong.
鈥淲e鈥檙e used to playing in these tournaments,鈥� the silky-smooth forward said of the team鈥檚 success. 鈥淓veryone buys into the same system and everyone likes winning.鈥�
The Storm, a team based out of the Champagne Aishihik First Nation, stormed out of the gates, going up 1-0 on a goal by Robbie Stuckey.
However, the team, which included many Whitehorse Huskies players, allowed five straight goals to the Nanooks, before getting late markers from Clayton Thomas and TJ鈥圕unningham to make it close.
Storm captain Ryan Gleason said the tournament was an emotional one for him, as the Yukon Indian Hockey Association dedicated it to his late mother, Sandi Gleason.
鈥淲ords can鈥檛 describe it,鈥� the 32-year-old told the Star. 鈥淚t was unbelievable how well we were treated this weekend. My mom鈥檚 looking down smiling, that鈥檚 all I can say.鈥�
The Nanooks, sponsored by E.鈥圙ruben鈥檚 Transport Ltd., beat the Storm 3-2 in a shootout in the first A division game on Friday, then went on to crush the Nannock Warriors 9-3 and the Lower Post Eagles 4-2 to earn a berth in the final.
Five teams competed in the A division, with the Nanooks taking home $6,000 for their victory.
Last year鈥檚 C鈥坉ivision champions out-skated their rivals to win the B division 9-5.
The Inland Tlingit Warriors took down the Lower Post Eagles thanks in large part to a hat trick from Mike Arnold and two goals from each of Cournall Apsassin and Eric Hamlin.
Evan Tordiff and Neil Vermillion also scored in the win.
Colin Dendys, Dylan Apsassin, Nathan Larotke, Darrel Moon and Sammy Bosek scored for the Eagles.
Eleven teams competed in the popular B division, with the Warriors collecting $4,500 for their win.
The Warriors took the hard road to victory after dropping an early contest to the Selkirk Bears.
But they bounced back to beat the North Yukon Eagles, LJ鈥檚 Sabres, Selkirk Bears, Tahltan Bear Dogz, and K&D Contracting Outlaws to earn a berth in the final.
Plumb Crazy Mechanical Ltd. (PCM) edged the Dease Lake Mooseheads in a wide-open C division championship game.
Five different scorers hit the back of the net for PCM, including Deeron Snowshoe-Vitrekwa, Ernie Gordon, Keaton Cockney, Travis Smith and Matthew Skinner.
Mooseheads scorers were Bradley Creyke, Justin鈥圧atray, Justin Waite, and Brandon Moffet.
Moffet鈥檚 goal came on a giveaway by PCM鈥坓oalie Chris Church. Moffet picked up the puck and deked out to defenders before putting it five-hole 鈥� all while shorthanded.
鈥淲e beat every team that we played,鈥� said Dang Dang Gruben, a 19-year-old blue-liner for PCM. 鈥淲e鈥檙e young and we鈥檝e got lots of energy.鈥�
鈥淭hree quarters of us play together usually,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e came here to have fun. We don鈥檛 have many tournaments up in Inuvik.鈥�
PCM took down the Iskut Wolverines, Tage Cho Warriors, and the Mooseheads to earn a berth in the final, while Dease Lake had a much harder road following their first loss to PCM on Saturday.
Nine teams competed in the C division this year.
Winnipeg鈥檚 Clarence Roulette proved to be an unstoppable force for the Kaska Warriors Sunday, scoring six goals to lead his team to their third straight tournament title.
The Warriors downed the Champagne Aishihik Bruins 10-2 in the old-timer final, with the game ending with 3:42 left in the third after Clarence Spence put the Warriors up by eight goals.
The Warriors, based out of Watson Lake, got six goals and an assist out of Roulette, and a hat trick and four assists from Spence, marking a tough game for Bruins netminder Matt Wealick.
鈥淚 should have had a little bit more than that,鈥� Roulette chuckled after his six-goal game. 鈥淚 think I鈥坔it the goalpost three or four times.
鈥淲e came here to win. That was our expectation,鈥� said Roulette, who noted he played pro hockey in the early 鈥�90s.
Kevin Johnstone rounded out the scoring with a single, while Blaine Monahan and Michael Jim had the Bruins goals.
The Warriors beat the Whitehorse Arrows and the Han Timberwolves to earn their date with the Bruins in the championship game.
Four old-timer teams participated in this year鈥檚 tournament with the winners taking home $2,000 in prize money.
Jonas Leas was the only player able to find chinks in Josh Tetlichi鈥檚 armour Sunday as the Jr. Inland Tlingit Warriors edged the Gwich鈥檌n Spitfires 2-1 to win the jamboree final.
Fifteen-year-old Leas, who recently played a starring role for Team Yukon at the Canada Winter Games, buried his second goal of the game behind Tetlichi with 5:50 left in the contest.
Josh Van Bibber picked up assists on both of Leas鈥檚 goals.
鈥淚t means a lot,鈥濃�圠eas said of the tournament win. 鈥淲e came in third last year so we wanted to win this year. We did what we wanted to do.鈥�
Familiarity between teammates helped pave the way to glory, Leas explained.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been playing together for a while and have great chemistry. That made us win.
鈥淭he tournament is top-notch,鈥� he added. 鈥淭here鈥檚 lots of tradition at it and it鈥檚 the funnest tournament I play every year.鈥�
Kaiden McDonald had the lone Spitfires goal, beating Ethan Vanderkley with an unassisted marker.
The Warriors mowed down the Iskut Wolverines, Tahltan Selects and the Spitfires to earn a berth in the championship final.
Eight teams participated in the jamboree division.
Kaien Tait, a 13-year-old sniper from Hazelton, B.C., scored five goals and added two assists as the Gwich鈥檌n Braves won the first title of the Yukon Native Hockey Tournament.
The Braves blew away the Jr. Tahltan Selects 10-4 at the Canada Games Centre Sunday morning on the strength of four players.
Oscar Sawicki sniped two goals alongside four assists in the victory, while defenceman Zoe Leas added a goal and four helpers.
Sam Skinner had the Braves鈥� other two goals to round out the scoring for the Old Crow team, who repeated as tournament champions after winning last year in a shootout.
鈥淚t was really fun,鈥� Tait said of the team鈥檚 Cinderella run.
Regan Asp had two goals for the Selects in the loss, while Nigel Mortimer and an unidentified player had singles.
The Jr. Tahltan Selects are based out of Dease Lake.
The Braves took them down twice en route to the championship, also beating the Carmacks 鈥楲il鈥� Wild Ones.
Five teams participated in the youth division.
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