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RANKIN INLET
Rankin Inlet took two of three games against Repulse Bay during the Northern Hockey Challenge's (NHC) first stop in Nunavut this past weekend in Rankin Inlet.

Rankin took the first of the three games 11-6 on Friday evening, with Repulse taking game two 8-2 on Saturday and Rankin closing out the set with a 10-6 win on Sunday.

On the Western side of the NHC, Yellowknife took both games from Inuvik by scores of 4-3 and 8-0 in Yellowknife.

Rankin leads the way in the East in the early going with a 2-1 record and four points, followed by Kuujjuaq (1-1), Iqaluit (1-1) and Repulse (1-2), all with two points.

In the West, Yellowknife (2-0) is on top with four points, followed by Hay River (1-1) and Inuvik (1-3) with two points each.

The three games played in Rankin were fast and intense in front of a large crowd that had a fair number of Repulse supporters among the hometown faithful.

Rankin coach Donald Clark said it's nice to start the NHC with a 2-1 record, but there's still a long way to go.

He said teams can't afford to take any nights off with only two squads advancing to the playoffs from each division.

"If a team goes on a three-game-losing streak during the round-robin, it's going to be very tough for them to come back," said Clark. "I'm happy we took four of the six points, but there were a lot of goals scored during the three games.

"As coach, I'd say there were too many scored."

Action in the NHC continues this coming weekend, with Kuujjuaq travelling to Iqaluit in the East for two games, and Yellowknife heading to Hay River for two games in the West.

Rankin is hosting the annual Polar Bear Plate juvenile-junior tournament this week from Feb. 7-10.

Rankin and Repulse both take to the road in the NHC for the Feb. 15 weekend, with Rankin in Kuujjuaq for two and Repulse travelling to Iqaluit for two.

Clark said he wasn't surprised how fast the action was on the ice this past weekend, given the talent of the teams involved.

He said the Feb. 15 weekend will be interesting with the Kivalliq teams in the Baffin and Nunavik.

"In the NHC, a team's third line is as good as its first.

"Our game three win against Repulse set the tone for us as we prepare for Kuujjuaq.

"I consider that third-game win pivotal, because starting this at 1-2 would have been a setback for us right out of the gate."

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