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HAY RIVER
Bronze was the medal of choice for the nine teams from the Deh Cho competing at the Elks Outdoor Soccer Tournament in Hay River last weekend.

Kelly-Ann Havioyak, left, of Princess Alexandra School in Hay River and Callie Gargan of Deh Gah School in Fort Providence go after the ball during the Elks Outdoor Soccer Tournament in Hay River. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Six of the teams from the region, including two from Fort Providence and four from Fort Simpson, returned from the tournament with third-place finishes in their divisions.

The third-place teams from Deh Gah School included the boys and girls Grade 6-7 teams.

Neither team won a round robin game and both played teams from Fort Simpson in the bronze-medal matches. The boys won 2-1 in a close game, said coach Christopher Carson.

The boys had paired up with five athletes from Ecole Boreale in Hay River to form a team.

"They brought the offence and we brought the defence," Carson said.

The Deh Gah Eagles girls team also found success against Fort Simpson.

During the bronze-medal game Mikaela Vandell scored the first goal for the Eagles but Fort Simpson tied it.

At the end of the second half, the game went to a five-minute sudden death overtime.

When no goals were scored, the teams faced off in a five-on-five shootout.

The shootout came down to the last two players. The teams were tied with a goal each when Vandell scored. The Eagle's goalie Delaney Vandell blocked Simpson's last goal attempt to secure third place for the team.

"It was a good game," said Carson.

"The game could have went either way."

Deh Gah School also fielded a senior high boys team.

It was the first team the school has entered in that division in three years.

The tournament was a chance for the 15 athletes to play against someone other than themselves, said James Hatch, who assisted coach Caley Bell.

The team tied its first game against Diamond Jenness Secondary School from Hay River and then lost against two schools from Yellowknife.

"The growth the team went through during those three games was huge," he said.

Hatch said the team showed its potential at the tournament and he knows they will succeed next year.

For Fort Simpson, which fielded six teams, the tournament brought four third-place finishes. The youngest team, the Grade 4-5 boys, won bronze against Ecole Boreale.

"It was a great game," said coach Val Gendron.

Ecole Boreale scored in the first period and Simpson scored in the second to tie 1-1. A scoreless overtime sent the game to a shootout, where Simpson won 3-2.

The team included two players from Fort Liard.

The Grade 8-9 boys team with players from Fort Simpson and Fort Liard won bronze after a two-goal shutout against Fort Smith.

The team used its first round robin game to gel but started to communicate better and use the whole field during later games, said coach Kristen Morrison.

"They worked extremely hard," she said.

The boys Grade 10-12 team with athletes from Fort Simpson, Behchoko, Fort Resolution and Fort Liard finished second in their pool and third in their division based on goals for and against.

The girls team at the same age level also won bronze in their division.

"The kids were great representatives of the Deh Cho," said Gendron.

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