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DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE - The hometown team held on but not long enough to win the Kingland Ford Rec Hockey Tournament over the weekend.

Six teams competed in the tournament from Feb. 13 to 15 in Fort Providence. The Fort Providence Bulls went 2-1 in the round robin winning against the Tli Cho Warriors and the Yellowknife/Fort Smith Hackers before losing to the Hay River Hustlers.

Brandon Lafferty, left, of the Fort Providence Bulls moves the puck up the ice during a game against the Hay River Hustlers at the Kingland Ford Tournament. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The Bulls stayed in the running by beating the Fort Simpson Nahanni Inn Flyers in a hard-fought battle during the first playoff game that ended 5-2. The Bulls went on to beat the Hustlers again 8-2 to advance to the finals.

Coming off of the ice from that game Michael Krutko, the Bulls' captain, said he was pleased with the team's performance.

"We've been playing good," said Krutko.

"Everyone's working together."

This is the third tournament the team has played in this year and Krutko said the players have been getting better as a unit. Every win is a team effort, he added.

"One line is making them work and the other is putting it in," he said.

Looking towards the finals Krutko was guarded.

"Whoever gets to the finals is going to want it just as much as we do," he said.

The Hackers, a team with players from Fort Smith and Yellowknife, made it to the finals and they did want the win. The Hackers beat out the Yellowknife Coyotes, a strong team that went undefeated in the round robin, 5-2 to get to the finals.

"We finally came together today as a complete unit and we look pretty tight out there," said Rob Laviolette, a Hackers wingman.

With players from two different communities the team spent the first games of the tournament learning to work together, he said. After an earlier defeat by the Coyotes in the round robin the Hackers caught them off guard this time, said Laviolette.

Hackers goalie Curtis Sinclair made a lot of good saves and the third line including Andrew Cunningham and Greg Hamann "was stellar," said Laviolette.

The Hackers were eager to meet the Bulls on the ice for the finals.

"The guys have a lot left in the tank," Laviolette said.

"It's going to be a good, fun game."

The two teams met in front of a large hometown crowd on Sunday afternoon. Despite battling hard the Bulls lost to the Hackers 6-2.

The Coyotes came in third in the tournament after beating the Hay River Hustlers 7-2 in the consolation finals.

The tournament went well but had one of its lowest team attendance rates, said Cliff McLeod, the organizer.

The tournament usually draws between eight to 10 teams. Six teams is as small as the tournament gets, McLeod said.

This year's team line-up included the usual contenders. For the last few years the Yellowknife Coyotes have also come to compete, which has been a welcomed addition, he said.

The tournament continues each year thanks to the continuous support of Kingland Ford, said McLeod.