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Junior C squad, Coral atoms come up big in tourney play
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
CORAL HARBOUR/RANKIN INLET
A pair of dramatic stories played out on two very different stages in the world of Kivalliq hockey this past month.
Six of the region's top junior players helped the Nunavut/NWT Branch claim its first Maritime Hockey North junior C championship under the Baffin Blizzard flag in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Making the trip were Josh Tartak and Keith (Butch) Sigurdson of Rankin, Tyler Tattuinee of Arviat, Roy Kopak of Repulse Bay and Ruben Saviakjuk and Jacob Nakoolak of Coral Harbour.
The Blizzard built up a 6-1 lead against P.E.I.'s Southside Lynx before going into a defensive shell and almost giving it away, escaping with a 6-5 win.
Tartak was given the nod as starting goaltender going into the playoffs and put in a stellar performance.
He said Tattuinee and Sigurdson also had major roles throughout the tournament.
"This being the first time Nunavut won is a pretty special feeling," said Tartak.
"We knew at the start we had a good team, but I really started to believe we could do it when we beat New Brunswick in the last round-robin game because everyone saw them as the top team."
Tartak said the final was nerve-wracking as the team let its 6-1 lead slip away.
He said Nunavut lost momentum when P.E.I. scored two quick goals to make it 6-3, then everyone seemed to start playing a defensive game.
"They had a lot of pressure on us during the third period, and the last couple of minutes were mind-boggling.
"We have the best fans going in Rankin, and we may have got a little lucky there because their home crowd wasn't very big, especially for a final game, and a bigger crowd cheering them might have made a difference.
"I thought the crowd would have been bigger with P.E.I. being in the final, but we have bigger and better fans in Rankin than they do.
"Rankin fans would love this tournament and they'd go nuts if we ever hosted it."
Meanwhile, in Rankin, the upstart Coral Harbour North Stars nipped Rankin Rock One 4-3 to claim the Arctic Atoms title, despite six rookies in the lineup.
Head coach Lyle Harron said his players had been counting down the weeks to the tournament, despite not knowing who would be on the final roster.
He said in the end, the team used five novice rookies in the tourney.
"They were pretty pumped for this and continued to work hard in practice even after the team was announced," said Harron.
"That made my job a lot easier, that's for sure."
Harron said his players had a lot of fun at the tournament, and they couldn't have made the trip if it wasn't for the great fundraising efforts of the parents in Coral.
He said having fun while playing the game is the top priority for his team, and winning it all was a bonus.
"Everyone knows it's special to play in a Rankin tournament, for any age, because of the great crowds.
"My five novice and one atom player, who had never played in a tournament before, were a little shell-shocked, but they'd come back to the bench all excited and kind of amazed by the crowd and all the cheering.
"I've been to a number of Rankin tournaments and the kids always have a blast, and that's the main thing.
"It was run well, everyone liked it and I didn't hear any complaints at all."
