RANKIN INLET
The 2013 edition of the Powerful Peewees hockey tournament was definitely a black-and-white affair earlier this month in Rankin Inlet.
Stephane Nukapiak, left, presents the Hardest Worker Award to AJ Curley of the Rankin Inlet White team at the Powerful Peewees hockey tournament in Rankin Inlet earlier this month. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
The host community split its players into two teams for the event and they met in an epic struggle for gold.
The White team scored a 3-2 overtime victory over Rankin Black in front of a large crowd at the Rankin arena.
The combined Repulse BayChesterfield Inlet team defeated Arviat to claim bronze, while Baker Lake finished fifth at the event.
Bad weather prevented players from Whale Cove and Coral Harbour from competing in the tournament.
A blizzard that swept across the Kivalliq also closed the Rankin arena on March 16, setting the stage for 10 games of peewee action the following day.
Rankin White head coach Donald Clark said while it was disappointing to have bad weather prevent Whale and Coral from participating, local fans were treated to a great day of hockey action on March 17, the final day of the tournament.
He said there were a lot of close games on the final day, which could have gone either way.
"Arviat ran into problems when their hockey gear wasn't sent to Rankin on the same plane as the players," said Clark.
"They played most of the tournament with borrowed gear from either the minor hockey room upstairs at the arena or kids in the community.
"Their own gear didn't arrive until late Sunday afternoon because of the weather."
Clark said he enjoyed seeing both Rankin squads in the final because he's worked with the kids on both teams all year long.
He said there wasn't much to choose between the two teams - with Black beating White in the round robin before White came out on top in the final - which is the way it was during inter-squad games all season.
"I wasn't surprised by how well the Repulse-Chester team played at the tournament.
"The top five or six kids from each community are on the ice constantly.
"The young Repulse players are almost like the senior men's team from their community, in always knowing where each other are on the ice.
"They're like miniature versions of the senior players with their positional play, and they had a big goalie from Chester (Chris Ippiak) who played well, too."
