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Rankin brings A-game to Yellowknife Darrell Greer Northern News Services Published Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Rankin eked out a one-goal win over Hay River in the semifinal to advance to the championship game. The Rankin squad was the only Nunavut team to compete in the A Division. It was the second time in the past four years a Rankin team has taken top honours at the event. Team captain Pujjuut Kusugak said the competition was strong among the eight teams of the A Division. He said most of the teams were evenly matched and all had great goaltending. "The goaltending was pretty unbelievable during the tournament and it was really tough to score," said Kusugak. "Things got a little tense in the third period of the final. "We were in control by that time and the other team was getting frustrated. "That's pretty normal in hockey, but they seemed to focus their frustration on Wendel (Kaludjak) for whatever reason." Kusugak said the tournament was well run, but the Rankin players found the ice softer than what they're used to at home. He said it's also a lot warmer inside the Ed Jeske rink in Yellowknife than their home barn in Rankin. "We drank a ton of water and Gatorade during the tournament. Overall, we found the reffing to be pretty good: a lot better than it was the past few years. "We had three players from outside of Rankin in Chris Jones (Whale Cove), Rodney Taparti (Repulse Bay) and Nagidhe Paulette (Fort Smith). "Roger Tagoona is home from playing away and he was also with us." Kusugak said team speed was the main reason for Rankin's success at the event. He said it's hard for other teams to play their game when they're always chasing the puck. "A lot of teams had a hard time containing us for the whole game. "We didn't take many shifts off, so we kept up our speed, cycled a lot and stayed as disciplined as possible. "I played on a line with Rodney and Wendel, and I loved being out there with those two guys."
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