INUVIK - As 10-year-old Arlo Clarkson and his buddies embarked on their first days of minor hockey last week he had no ambitions to win any scoring titles.

The soft-spoken boy's loyalties rest squarely with his goalie.

From left, Trent Gordon, Jaymes Arey, Preston Dosedel and Dang-Dang Gruben wait for their turn to practise at the arena on Sunday. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

"I just want to defend my goalie," said Clarkson, who plays in the Atom division this year. He said he would rather see someone else bask in the glory of scoring goals.

"I just pass to watch other people score," he said with a laugh.

Eleven-year-old Shannon Baetz is also happy to be playing hockey again. She's in the peewee division this year but is among three girls vying for a spot on the high school team. She's also planning to curl this year and has signed up with the speed skating club. Baetz hopes to break her personal record.

Trent Gordon, a smooth skating Bantam defenceman, has his sights set on making the travel team so he can strut his stuff at upcoming tournaments scheduled in Hay River and Edmonton.

It's been a challenge for Josh McDonald, the town's recreation programmer, to make sure all the groups using the rink this season get enough ice time. The schedule boasts everything from speed skating to figure skating to women's hockey to old-timers hockey.

"It's always a challenge to come up with a schedule but we had a user group meeting in August to set up a schedule and we worked together so I think everyone's pretty happy."

The rink will also be busy hosting several special events throughout the season including a hockey school from Nov. 11 to 15 as well as Arctic Winter Games tryouts for bantams and midgets. Figure skating territorials will also be held here in February.

He's also tweaked the schedule a little from last year. Free of charge casual hockey used to draw people of all ages. Now McDonald has broken the players into two age groups: 12 and under, who play Tuesday and Thursdays afternoons from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., while players 13 and older get to play Wednesdays and Fridays at the same time slot. The arena still offers free public skates from Tuesday to Friday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. There's also a free family skate on Sunday mornings from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m.

Schedules can be picked up at the arena.