INUVIK - Liam Larocque held the Stanley Cup to his mouth on Dec. 17 and drank in the glory.

Bradford Keevik of the A-team gets shut down by Delta Boys goalie Wade Gruben on a penalty shot in the championship game. - Aaron Beswick/NNSL photos

It didn't matter that the cup was a plastic replica or that the bubbly fluid pouring down his face was ginger ale.

The Delta Boys had vanquished all comers to win the Samuel Hearne Secondary School floor hockey league championships. Larocque handed the cup off to goalie Wade Gruben who'd shut out the A-Team's constant pressure to give the Delta Boys a 4-0 win.

"We are so proud of them," said Chris Gilmour, who co-ordinated the league with organizers Al Gillis and Heath Israel.

More than 100 students formed eight teams that faced off on the hardwood four days a week during lunch hour since the beginning of school in September. By the end of the season, each team had played nearly 20 games.

Players in the league also benefited from a healthy lunch program provided by teacher Danny Jelema and the integrated foods program. The menu, approved by a nutritionist, was composed of hearty meals like chili and soups.

"The focus was on participation, school attendance, physical fitness, team work and school spirit," explained Gilmour. "This has been running for seven years and has a noticeable impact on attendance. It's one of the tools we have."

While for teachers the championship was about education and attendance, for students it was the glory of sport. The NHL playoffs are made to matter by the millions following the athletes' every move, so staff went all out to bring an element of grandeur to this corner of the Arctic. The RCMP arrived in red serge to deliver the cup and music teacher Paul Maynard donned a goalie's helmet and manned the organ.

"Last year a ball almost took my head off," said Maynard. "Hence the headgear."

After the championship game, teachers and student floor hockey all-stars faced off.

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