LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - Women dominated the ice at the Fort Simpson recreation centre over the weekend during the third annual Moosehide Mammas' Chicks with Sticks hockey tournament.

Kristen Morrison, centre with the Moosehide Mammas chases after the Fort Smith Fury's Tina Dumont during the semifinal game. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photos

Three teams, including the Fort Smith Fury, the Hay River Hazard and the Fort Simpson Moosehide Mammas battled it out on the ice from Jan. 19 to 20 to see who would go home victorious.

In the finals the Hazards faced off against the Furys in a much-anticipated game. During the double round robin the two teams had met twice and tied both of their games with scores of 4-4 and 3-3.

Up until the last few minutes of the finals it looked like the two teams were going to repeat their tie with the score locked at 2-2. Then with five minutes to go the Furys scored a goal.

Keeping the score at 3-2, the Furys took home the gold.

The tournament was a great success, said two of the organizers, Susan Coyne and Susie Hanna.

"I don't think it could have gone better," Hanna said.

"We had so much fun."

Everyone was excited about the tournament as soon as they got off the road, said Coyne.

"Playing with the Smith and Hay River teams is always really fun," she said.

Despite going winless in the tournament the Moosehide Mammas were happy with their performance.

In their first game against the Hazard the Mammas lost 9-1.

The team's second game against the Fort Smith Fury was their best, said Coyne.

During the game the Mammas played well as a team with solid lines and great goaltending.

"We all just sort of fell into our own grooves," said Hanna.

The game ended with the Furys winning 2-1. Despite the loss, Hanna said the two teams were well matched.

"I don't feel we were out- played," said Hanna.

In their other games the Mammas were challenged by the Fury and Hazard teams who had good forward lines that were able to get the puck to the net and get goals in, said Coyne.

"It was very challenging, the whole tournament right from the beginning," she said.

The Mammas lost both their third and fourth games.

Facing the Fury again in the semifinals the Fort Simpson team was defeated 6-0.

The tournament was a good learning experience for the team, said Coyne. This was the first time the women had played together as a team and the first tournament some of the women had competed in.

"It was a huge learning curve for them," she said.

The Mammas are now looking forward to competing in the Hazardous Hockey tournament in Hay River on Feb. 29. The tournament will give the team a chance to compete against up to nine other teams.

The tournament was topped off by a potluck supper hosted by the Mammas on Saturday night, Coyne said. The potluck gave the players a chance to relax and visit, she said.

"All the women were super happy," said Coyne.