RANKIN INLET/THOMPSON, MAN
The Rankin Rock dumped the Cross Lake Islanders 9-1 to claim the 'A' Division atoms championship at the annual Munn Cup tournament in Thompson, Man., earlier this month.
The win marked the first time a Rankin atoms team had ever claimed the 'A' Division championship.
The highest a Rankin team had finished previously in the 'A' Division was a bronze medal showing.
Head coach David Clark said two of his three assistant coaches, Sidney Nichol and Connor Faulkner, were both on that bronze medal team.
He said the championship game was actually the Rock's most lopsided win of the entire tournament.
"We had three wins and a tie in the round robin, and they were all pretty close games," said Clark.
"We started off pretty shaky in the championship, and were tied 1-1 with Cross Lake at the end of the first, before we took over the game in the second and third periods.
"The boys were well-prepared all weekend and they weren't going to be denied."
Clark said he could see the relatively poor showing in the first period was due mainly to a case of nerves over being in the final.
He said he took advantage of the break before the second to remind the young players why they were there.
"When the players got into the dressing room, we got them all loosened up and reminded them they were at the tournament to have fun.
"We told them to go back out and just play their game, and things seemed to take off from there.
"We scored an early one in the second and it snowballed through the rest of the game."
Clark said quite a few parents from Rankin attended the tournament in Thompson.
He said although the 'B' team didn't win a game, the players had a great time and learned from the experience.
"The players on our 'B' team were a great group of kids to coach and they had a blast.
"It was a very busy time for us, coaching two teams in the tournament, but our 'A' team was the talk of the town.
"It's all about having fun at this level, but, at the same time, it felt good to hear people say during the weekend that a number of our players would star in the 'AA' Division.
"A lot of people were asking about one little guy, Kadin Eetuk, in particular, because he was the fastest skater in the tournament, and it's always nice to hear positive things about your players."
Clark said he was most proud of the way the kids stuck together as a team.
He said they showed a lot of discipline throughout the tournament.
"I don't necessarily stress winning, but if they follow the game plan and what we teach them, then, at the end of the day, they have a good chance of winning.
"You spend hours and hours coaching on the ice, and to see it all come together at a tournament is really special.
"To see them in a real game, successfully doing the things we practise, that's what's most rewarding to me."
