LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - Birthday well wishes and hockey intermingled on a street in Fort Simpson over the weekend.

Participants in the third annual Road Hockey Rumble in Fort Simpson included, from left, back row: Scott Whitmore, Melaw Antoine, Chris Hewitt, Brian Desjardins, James Tsetso, Kelley Andrews-Klein, Ed Newhook, Gordon Thompson, Nathan McPherson, Thomas Roche, Terrance Liske, Steven Thompson, Shane Thompson, Laurie Ozmun and Wayne Schaub; front row: Ozzy Antoine, Alex Campbell, Alexa Tsetso, Kevin Roche and Joey Klein. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

A section of 99th Avenue was closed on Nov. 6 as 20 hockey enthusiasts took to the street for the third annual Road Hockey Rumble. The popular tournament was first organized in 2008 as a way to celebrate Chris Hewitt's 33rd birthday party.

Three years later, Hewitt said his birthday is no longer the focus of the event.

"It's an excuse to get together and play road hockey," he said.

Over the afternoon three teams faced off against each other in a double round robin. Spectators stood on the sidelines squinting against the warm sunlight as they watched the hockey players move an orange ball between the two nets.

The snow-covered, slightly slippery road added an extra level of excitement as players fought to keep their footing.

When the six games were over, the team called Oz's Men was in first and received a bye to the finals with a record of two wins, one tie and one loss. Second place went to Road Kill. The two teams had the same game record but Oz's Men scored 16 goals in total compared to Road Kill's 13.

Road Kill played in the semi-finals against Ditch Diggers. The game ended 3-4 in Road Kill's favour. The team continued its winning streak beating Oz's Men 4-2 in the finals to win the tournament.

"Alexa Tsetso kept us in the game as our goalie," said Hewitt, Road Kill's captain.

Hewitt also gave credit to Melaw Antoine for scoring the game-winning goals in both the final and semi-final. The other team members included Gordon Thompson, Thomas Roche, and James Tsetso.

Following the finals, participants rounded off the day with hamburgers and relaxed beside a bonfire in Hewitt's front yard. Birthday wishes were also extended to a member of the Ditch Diggers, Scott Whitmore who turned a year older on Nov. 7.

"It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon," Hewitt said.

Hewitt expects to be on the street playing hockey again this time next year. Road hockey is a pastime a lot of people can relate to which makes the tournament popular, he said.

Approximately 10 people arrived while the games were in play and were sorry they'd missed being put on a team, he said.

Nathan McPherson, a member of Ditch Diggers, was happy to play this year.

He learned about the tournament in its first year, while living outside of the village, through photos posted on Facebook. After arriving late last year and missing the games McPherson said he made a point to attend this year.

"It's lot of fun," he said.

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