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INUVIK - The Gwich'in Cup held here on the weekend featured a few lopsided championship games but for one of the tournament organizers that wasn't the point.

"At the end of the day it was a good hockey game," said Conrad Baetz, speaking specifically about Sunday afternoon's tournament ending midget division championship game, which he also coached.

Featuring several talented hockey teams and plenty of sportsmanship, this year's Gwich'in Cup crowned three divisional championship teams, including the hometown peewee champs, The Inuvik Warriors. Members of the team include: Back row, from left, Brooklynn Norris, Keane McDonald, Tristan Peter, Steven Alldridge, Simon Hagen, Keaton Cockney. Middle row, from left, Trent Gordon, Jozef Semmler, Bernie Bernhardt, Ernie Gordon, Chantel Cockney, and goalie Travis Smith. - Andrew Rankin/ NNSL photo

A run-and-gun-type match, the Inuvik versus Fort McPherson final featured a slew of end-to-end rushes, crisp passing and a just enough chippy play.

Geo Pascal, one of Inuvik's top players, said his team got stronger as the game progressed but added he had due respect for a much-improved Fort McPherson squad.

"I hope to see them back next year," he said.

Fort McPherson's Brice Blake said his team was just trying to get out of the match alive.

"We were just hoping not to get killed," he said with a laugh. "It was a great tournament."

Baetz was quick to call the eighth annual Gwich'in Tribal Council and First Air-sponsored tournament a success. The four-day event, which ran from Feb. 19 to 22, brought together 15 minor hockey teams from across the Delta, including for the first time a midget team from Paulatuk, which more than held its own.

Players were also treated to a banquet and post-tournament awards ceremony.

While the peewee, bantam and midget divisions hosted championship games, the atom and novices just joined forces and played for the fun of it.

Novice player Alysha Wenghofer, 7, was more than OK with that because "she just wanted to have fun."

A longtime coach and minor hockey volunteer, Baetz takes pride in the commitment from the participating teams and the improvement he sees in the players.

"You can't beat it when you see little, little kids that were eight, nine years old, progress to kids that are playing now at the midget level," he said. "The progression from year to year to year. It's so satisfying to see, absolutely. It's about kids playing hockey."

Brooklynn Norris, a member of the peewee division champs Inuvik Warriors, said she agrees with that philosophy, and loved the opportunity to spend so much time playing hockey with her teammates.

Smooth-skating defenseman Evan Lemieux led the Inuvik Ice Devils to the Bantam division championship against Tuktoyaktuk. But he was quick to spread the credit around.

"We started winning and we just came together," he said. "We have respect for our players. And Tuk played a really good game."

Former Philadelphia Flyers legend Reggie Leach made the trip to Inuvik as the tournament's banquet guest speaker. The Ojibwa-born hockey player, a former line-mate of Bobby Clarke, has battled alcohol addiction and visits schools to talk to students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

As he mingled with spectators and hockey players alike, he relayed a stern message.

"As someone who is from the First Nations who made it to the NHL, I'd like to give these kids a little bit of a direction of how I accomplished getting there and how much works it takes," he said. "Whether it's hockey or anything else in life, you're not going to go anywhere without commitment and hard work. If you don't go to school and get an education, you're not going to make it."

A fan of the town and the tournament, he said he saw several outstanding players in the tournament, and added he hopes the annual event keeps on track.

Baetz said he is certain it will, especially with such a great supporting cast.

"You can't pull it off without having the support of volunteers, whether they be parents or local businesses that are helping out, and you can't pull it off without parents bringing their kids here and paying for the hotel rooms," he said. "You can't pull it off without the kids."