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Moosehide Mammas victorious again
Fort Simpson team win division in Hay River two years after first win

Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, March 13, 2014

HAY RIVER
A team of current and former Moosehide Mammas went undefeated in Hay River last weekend to win the women's division of the Polar Pond Hockey Tournament and regain their former title.

nnsl photo

Two teams from Fort Simpson comprised of current and alumni Moosehide Mammas' players competed in the Polar Pond Hockey Tournament in Hay River March 7 to 9. The athletes included, back row, from left, Rylie Hamilton, Jenny Thompson, Kristen Morrison, Sydney Rowe, April Bell and Vanessa Murtsell, and front row, Alexa Tsetso, Stephanie Cudmore, Alyssa Carpenter and Caitlin Blyth. - photo courtesy of Marilyn Marshall Photography

Kristen Morrison, Alexa Tsetso, April Bell, Alyssa Carpenter and Rylie Hamilton, who was playing with the Mammas for the first time, defeated five teams on their way to victory at the sixth annual tournament.

"It was fun," said Morrison.

"We had a great time and lots of laughs."

The Mammas went undefeated in their round-robin pool beating the Pink Warriors 18-3 March 7, and the Multiple Scoregasms 17-8 and Dirty Girls 18-6 on Saturday. In their cross-over game on Sunday the Mammas played PCUK, the other Fort Simpson team made up of Moosehide Mammas players.

The two teams didn't really want to play each other because almost all of the women are teammates, but it was still fun, Morrison said.

Things got more serious in the semi-final game when the Mammas played the Multiple Scoregasms again, winning 8-6 and in the finals against the Ugly Pucklings.

"The games were tough," she said.

The Mammas were getting tired by that point and the other teams were picking up their games. The Mammas spread out and played their positions to avoid wearing themselves out, Morrison said.

The Ugly Pucklings from Hay River were in the lead in the first half of the final, but the Mammas pulled ahead by halftime. The close game ended 16-14 in the Mammas' favour. It was a team effort with everyone scoring goals, said Morrison.

With their win, the Mammas reclaimed the position they held two years ago when Morrison, Bell, Tsetso, Carpenter and Jennifer Thistle won the division.

"It's just a great time to enjoy the game and a great social atmosphere," Morrison said about the tournament.

The volunteers put in a lot of time and work to make the event happen and maintain the 10 outdoor rinks, she said.

The PCUKs also had a good time at the tournament, but weren't as successful. Stephanie Cudmore, Vanessa Murtsell, Sydney Rowe, Caitlin Blyth and Jenny Thompson only won one of their games and by default.

PCUK's first game was against the Ugly Pucklings that contained many of the athletes the Fort Simpson team lost against in last year's final.

"It was a good game,

however they snuck a few extra goals past us and they won," Cudmore said.

On Saturday morning PCUK battled the weather and the Hot Mammas, another Hay River team. It was snowing so hard that if the puck was shot past the half line it would still stop a few feet short of the net because of the accumulated snow on the ice.

"It was more of a game of hide-and-seek because you could never find the puck," Cudmore said.

PCUK won their next game by default when their opponents didn't arrive on time, but were then knocked out of the tournament on Sunday by the Mammas.

"We were happy that we lost to the winning team," said Cudmore.

Both teams are already planning on returning to the tournament next year.

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