RANKIN INLET
Team Iqaluit stunned a capacity crowd recently by overcoming a three-goal deficit with 10 minutes left to play in the third period on the way to capturing their third consecutive Polar Bear Plate juvenile/junior 'C' title in Rankin Inlet.

Iqaluit tied the score at four with a little over a minute remaining in the game, before star winger Max Shoo intercepted a pass in the Rankin Canucks end, walked in alone and snapped a shot high to the glove side past Canucks goalie Josh Tartak to take the game 5-4 in overtime.

Iqaluit head coach Todd Gardner said he's still trying to figure out just how the game changed so quickly in the third period.

He said being down 4-1 halfway through the final frame isn't a position Iqaluit ever wants to find themselves in, but he'll take a tournament win anytime, no matter how it comes about.

"We didn't do too much for two periods, but we finally got our stuff together enough in the third to be able to pull it off," said Gardner.

"We were talking after the game how, once the Canucks went up 4-1, they were trying to shut us down by hanging back and letting us come at them.

"I don't think they were even able to get out of their own zone for too much time after we scored that second goal to make it 4-2, so we were pretty confident we were going to tie the game.

"It looked like they just stood back and were hoping to run out the clock, and that's the way it goes sometimes, but we were a pretty confident bunch on the bench and we knew we could score two or three goals in a hurry because we have a pretty potent lineup."

Gardner said once a team goes into defensive mode, it's almost impossible to shift back into high gear when the other side comes back.

He said most times the defensive approach doesn't work, but, once you get into overtime, it's still anybody's game.

"Rankin had a few chances in overtime and it could have gone either way.

"But, once you shut it down like that, it's almost impossible to turn around and go into offensive mood again and that cost them in this game.

"The teams are getting stronger at the Polar Bear Plate and three of the teams in the semifinals, us, Rankin and Coral Harbour, could have won that tournament, along with Whale Cove, who played a strong game throughout the tournament.

"It's always good to see anytime you have a tournament at this level where four or five teams are capable of winning it.

Gardner now turns his focus to the Challenge Cup junior C championship this coming weekend in Iqaluit.

He said the core of his team will be the same as the one that played in Rankin, but there will be a few additions.

"We have two guys, a speedy forward and a big, stay-at-home defenceman, joining us from Pangnirtung, and we have a couple of really strong local midget players who will also be joining us for the Challenge Cup.

"We ran into injury problems this past year in Rankin Inlet and found ourselves with a short bench, and that really cost us.

"Of course, with budget constraints traveling, we couldn't take 20 players to Rankin, but, still, being at home this year, we're going to use as many players as possible so we don't run into that again.

"I haven't seen the Challenge Cup dominated by any one team for a long time, so I'm sure this one will be no different than in previous years in that they'll all be hard-fought games."