INUVIK - Sticking to schedule, the second annual Muskrat Cup has more than doubled its purse and is hoping to attract two to three times the number of teams from last year - all that's needed now is for teams to register.

If all goes according to plan, this year's Muskrat Cup hockey tournament will host 16 to 22 teams. The purse has increased to $8,000 and the winning team will earn $5,000. Muskrat Cup organizer Tony Devlin, Inuvik's director of community services, and Rose Constantineau, the town's recreation programmer, stand on the frozen Mackenzie River in 2010. - NNSL file photo

"Inevitably what will happen is we'll end up getting 10 teams signing up two days before," organizer Tony Devlin, Inuvik's director of community services said with a laugh, "but that's not what I want, I'd like to encourage them to sign up earlier."

This 3-on-3 pond hockey tournament, scheduled for April 2 to 4, ran with seven teams last year but this year Devlin has fattened the purse in hopes of drawing in more teams from around the Delta.

"We had seven local teams last year, pretty much Inuvik only," he said, adding that he's talked to teams in Tuktoyaktuk and Aklavik. "This year we're hoping for a minimum of 16 and a maximum of 22 teams."

This year's purse is $8,000 compared to last year's $2,750. First prize will be worth $5,000 this time.

"There's a lot of interest out there, I mean five grand split between three to five people," Devlin said. "It's a big money tournament."

Players older than 16 years of age are invited to enter a team. The team can consist of three to five skaters, no goalies - all that is needed is a stick, a helmet and skates, though shin pads are recommended. The registration fee is $350 per team.

It's a double elimination tournament, so if a team loses twice they're out.

There will be a maximum of 39 games all together starting Saturday, April 2, with finals on Monday, April 4.

"It gives people even more to do down on the ice during Jamboree," Devlin said of the outdoor rinks that will be set up across the road from the Jamboree grounds. "It just adds into the whole festival, carnival atmosphere of the Jamboree."

There will be five rinks available and this year the size of them has increased to 75 by 150 feet from 50 by 100 feet last year.

"We just found it was too tight last year," Devlin said, joking about one player who was six-foot-seven and could almost reach from one side of the rink to the other with his stick.

"The idea is we went in last year with about a five-year plan to turn this into a national level tournament," Devlin said. "We've also got the selling point that it's the only Arctic (pond hockey) tournament."

Now the hope is by the time the tournament gets to year four or five and becomes a national event the purse should grow anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000.

Organizers are also looking to hire referees for the games over the three days.

"It's a fun time," Devlin said, then laughed "make sure you wear the right boots."

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