INUVIK - Members of Team NWT's midget hockey team didn't leave the Arctic Winter Games in Grande Prairie earlier this month with a medal, but that didn't seem to bother their head coach.

"I was very happy," said Paul Grech. "We got a bunch of strangers together at the beginning and we came together and trained hard. The improvement we made as a team was fabulous."

Paul Grech, centre, Team NWT midget hockey coach, travelled to the Arctic Winter Games in Grande Prairie, Alta. earlier this month with two of his players James Day, left, and Conrad Baetz, right. The guys said they were proud of the team's performance at the games. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

James Day and Conrad Baetz were among the 17 players Grech and his coaching staff selected at try-outs in Yellowknife. Former residents Lucas Lemieux and Sean Alldridge, who are both playing competitive hockey in the south, also made the team.

The March 6 to 12 games also featured squads from Yukon, Alaska, Nunavut and Northern Alberta.

In four round robin games the NWT boys managed a victory against a strong Nunavut team. But the boys kept the competition close. In fact, they lost a close 4-3 battle against Alaska, the eventual AWG champs.

"Our boys were sharp," said Grech. "We were moving the puck. We were skating. Where we fell short was just with game time experience. The games we lost were by one or two goals."

Grech, the regional director for Hockey NWT, said that prior to the tournament several players on the team, such as Baetz and Day, had only played a handful of competitive midget hockey games down south. He figured rival players from Alaska and Northern Alberta, for example had played at least 30 to 50 games.

"Having great athletes is one thing," he said. "Getting them ready and prepared is another thing. I learned that we have to have a high-end midget program based somewhere that enables us to take these kids to places like Grande Prairie or Whitehorse and get them playing against kids their own age.

"Half my team is playing in a beer league. That's just not good enough to prepare these guys for a world class event like the Arctic Winter Games."

Day and Baetz agree. But they also agree it was a thrill to just able to compete in such a high-calibre tournament.

"It was just really good hockey," said Baetz. "But we didn't have enough game time to gel. But just being there was a lot of fun."

Day played on the NWT bantam team at the Games two years ago. He said the experience of playing this time around was much better.

"I met a bunch more people," said Day. "I had a lot more fun and the opening ceremonies was pretty amazing."