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INUVIK - Inuvik can now add another feather to its cap.

The town boasts the 12th best pond hockey team in the world.

Inuvik's Mike Gravel, left, lunges for the puck as the squad does battle against a team from Texas. - photos courtesy of Mike Gravel

That's the placing four hometown boys calling themselves The Mad Trappers snagged when they travelled to Plaster Rock, N.B., recently to compete among 120 teams in the 2009 World Pond Hockey Championships from Feb. 19 to 22.

"I think we were all really proud to be there representing Inuvik and the NWT," said team member Mike Gravel.

Joined by Todd Moran, Dickie Mistakenchief and Ken Jacobson, the lone NWT team showed up to the Hockey Night in Canada-televised event in shock and awe.

"I think we got a taste of what we were in for right at the opening ceremonies when all the teams got paraded out to the lake where all the rinks were," said Gravel. "There were media everywhere. Cameramen were on top of a crane, helicopters were taking video footage. That's when we realized this might be a bigger event than we thought."

A shinny lover's dream come true, the tournament site featured 20 rinks plopped in the middle of a seemingly endless forest of spruce and pine trees. Forty teams competed at once with no goalies, referees or slap shots. Boasting teams from as far as Texas, the tournament also showcased players ranging from former pro to amateur.

The local team of 35 to 44-year-olds went undefeated with a record of 4-0 in round robin play. They lost their second sudden death playoff game on Sunday to a team of ex-major junior and university hockey players.

Gravel said he's proud of the team's placing. He took from the event many unforgettable memories from the camaraderie between virtually every participating team, to just the sheer beauty of the host site.

"One night there was a light snow coming down and you could just see the snowflakes illuminated by the big lights," he said. "It was just gorgeous. It was like we were playing hockey on a movie set.

"Every game we played we had a huge smile on our face. It was just a lot of fun. We all just enjoyed ourselves right to the end."

The team of lifetime hockey players and minor hockey coaches were lucky to get in the tournament in the first place since only 50 new teams were accepted out of a 700-team applicant lottery process.

Fifty teams will be brought back for next year's tournament. They're hoping they might be one of them.

"We would certainly entertain the idea, that's for sure," said Gravel.