EDMONTON - Gold and bronze were the colours that rang in the new year for soccer players from Fort Simpson.

A total of 25 athletes from Fort Simpson along with one from Jean Marie River and one from Fort Liard travelled to Edmonton to participate in the Polar Cup tournament from Dec. 27-30.

Members of the gold medal Fort Simpson Pulsars team include from left, top row: coach Shane Thompson, Ashtyn McCleod, Delaney Poitras, Stacey Bouvier, Tracy Evyagotailak, Kelly Kenny and Cordelia Bouvier: bottom row: Melanie Phillips, Nicole Cholete, Amanda Bradbury, Jacie McDonald, Carley Gon, Tyanna Steinwand and Jackie Thompson. - photo courtesy of Jackie Thompson

Playing on three teams with a mix of athletes from other communities in the NWT, the Deh Cho soccer players brought home gold medals in both the U18 Girls Tier 4 competitive division and the U14 Boys Tier 5 division.

On their way to gold in the U18 Tier 4 competitive division, the Pulsars went 4-0 in their games. With five teams in the division a single round robin with no playoffs determined the winning team, said Shane Thompson, the Pulsars' coach.

The Pulsars dominated the division giving up only two goals in four games. They won their first game against the Sherwood Park Athletics team 5-1. In their second game they shut out Lac La Biche to win 4-0.

The third game against the Sturgeon AC Milan team from Edmonton was the important one in the tournament, said Thompson.

"They were the team to beat in the division," he said.

Sturgeon played hard, forcing a penalty shot within the first minute of the game which was stopped by a great save by the Pulsars' goalie Jackie Thompson. Thompson made another save seven minutes into the game when the Sturgeons made a direct shot.

"From there the momentum just changed," said Shane Thompson.

At half time the Pulsars were winning 2-0, a score they maintained until the end of the game.

"Some great goaltending and some great defense allowed us to win the game," said Thompson.

The Pulsars went on to beat the St. Albert Thunder 7-1 in their final game to win gold in their division.

The team performed very well considering that some of the girls hadn't played together before, said Thompson. Having two solid lines helped the team win, he said.

This was the fifth time the team has competed in the Polar Cup but the first time they've taken gold. It's also the last time the team will play together at the tournament because some members are turning 19 and finishing Grade 12.

The team will be together for five more tournaments. From Jan. 31-Feb. 2 they'll compete at the soccer territorials in Yellowknife and if they win they will go on to the Arctic Winter Games. Other upcoming tournaments include the Connie Loutit Memorial, the Northern Lights and the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG).

"I hope we have success in the last five tournaments," said Thompson.

Also on top of the podium were the Rebels in the U14 Boys Tier 5 division.

The Rebels started the tournament by winning their first two games by 6-2 and 8-3. They then faced the Phoenix who were also undefeated. Despite a 5-2 loss, the Rebels still made the playoffs and played a grudge match against The Phoenix.

The Rebels scored their first goal in the first three minutes and stayed up one until halftime saidcoach Paul Stipdonk.

After telling the team that the first five minutes of the second half were the most important to the game, the Rebels scored a goal 2.5 minutes into the game.

"We just held tight," said Stipdonk.

With 10 minutes left in the game, the Rebels scored again increasing their lead to 3-0.

"I was really impressed with how well the kids hung in there," said Stipdonk.

The players had to adapt to a lot of changes including playing on a bigger field, he said.

The third team with Fort Simpson players coached by Michael Botermans played in the U16 Boys Tier 4 competitive division winning bronze.

In their first game the team lost 5-2 but came back to beat the Vegreville Knights 4-1. On a roll, the team went on to beat one of the teams from Sherwood Park 12-0.

Despite their two wins, the NWT team didn't make the playoffs because the decision came down to goals for and against with a second Sherwood Park team having seven to their five. Because of their standing the NWT team still took bronze.