More hockey fans filled the stands on Sunday than for a seat-gripping final game this past Saturday. 

Having won game 16 against the Hay River Shockers, the Hay River Ptarmigan Huskies moved on to game 18 against Fort Providence. 

J.J. Hirst scored first against Fort Providence and Steve Rosendahl scored second tying the teams up.

But late in the third period Fort Providence came back and scored the game winning goal and earning a final score of 3-2.

Fans flooded out of arena doors disappointed.

“It was a good close game,” said Rosendahl, Huskies team member and president of the Hay River Recreational Hockey League.

“In the end we couldn’t get the balance we needed at the time. It just wasn’t our day I guess.”

The Hay River Shockers beat the local Oldtimers team on Friday with a final of 8-1, as did the Huskies over the Hay River Bandits, 8-1.

The Shockers won against High Level 6-2 and advanced to the finals but lost to the Hay River Huskies 4-2 in game 15.

The Huskies won against Fort Smith 6-4 in game 11 on Saturday and against Fort Simpson 6-2 in game 13 on Sunday.

But when they went up against the Fort Providence Bulls in their second and final game, they lost out 3-2.

“They had a good team, some great players,” said Huskies team member and organizer Todd Ashton.

“There was some good competition and some great hockey was played.”

Four Hay River hockey teams along with teams from Fort Providence, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith and High Level came out to the annual tournament hosted by the Hay River Recreational Hockey League.

The tournament kicks off the season for many communities around the North.

The girls of the Hay River Figure Skating Club had some extra ice time and instruction this weekend.

But it was a rare treat. The women’s hockey team cancelled their practice, offering an hour of extra ice time, and coach Linda Thompson was in from Fort Smith and was able to lead the pre-preliminary and star skaters through their exercises. 

While it’s working out this Oct. 29, evening, club Vice-President Marnie Twigge said it’s not ideal. 

“This year we’re making the best with what we have,” said Twigge. “We have a lot more time that’s self-directed this year.”

It’s the star skaters who, although supervised, are the participants who have made it to the level where independent study is more realistic.

The club hosts practices for all levels, from kids skating and the seven levels of CanSkate programming once a week to the highest level star skaters, on the ice three times a week.

“We have an ad out for a coach,” said Twigge, “but so do 50 other clubs, so we’re doing the best we can with what we have because we have to be realistic.”

But all is not lost on optimism.

Some participants have travelled down to High Level to partake in skating boot camps.

Eight girls travelled to Yellowknife last weekend for a skating clinic.

And in early mornings and weekly practices, girls are either supervised or taught by volunteers who have progressed to an apt level of figure skating.

The club has been active in Hay River for more than 40 years, averaging more than 60 girls registered per year from ages three to 17.

This year, whether or not their call-outs for a coach are answered, they are preparing athletes for territorials, taking place in Hay River in January.

Some will head down to the Peace River Invitational or the Totem competition in Northern B.C.

The figure skating season already under way but the club is still accepting late registrants.  For more information call Twigge at 874-6129 or email hrfsc1@gmail.com.

The weird weather this weekend didn’t prevent the territory’s avid slo-pitch players from competing in this year’s Coors tournament.

After two team dropped out, 11 teams from across the North competed with strong winds, hot sun and thunder as their backdrop.

A fast-approaching thunderstorm soaked teams on Sunday afternoon, and repeated showers on Monday hit both players and spectators alike, but that didn’t damped any moods or stop any of the games.

Fort Resolution’s Fast Eddys played the Hay River Ptarmigan Ptrappers in the final game Monday afternoon and took the win 9 – 4.

The Fast Eddys beat out the team expected to win the weekend’s tournament – Fort Smith.

Fort Resolution was the team who won the Waterbomber Classic tournament on the Canada Day weekend.

Fort Smith and Fort Vermillion came in third/fourth place.

Glenn Smith, one of the organizers for the tournament commended both Fort Resolution and Hay River on their skill during the tournament but noted the low scores that were common during the playoffs.

He attributed that to the weather that kept everyone constantly guessing.

“It was different weather that’s for sure,” he said.

Smith said that the weather was probably the biggest problem that they had this weekend as everything else ran smoothly.

Smith said that since the Coors Tournament is usually the biggest slo-pitch tournament of the year, it gets very competitive.

Having another tournament on the Canada Day weekend allowed the teams to build up their skill and communication to play their best this weekend.

“It is nice having two tournaments in one month,” he said.

“We start to build up teams.”

The gears are already in motion for the tournament to continue next year despite it nearly not happening last year.

Smith said that the plan is to continue the Canada Day tournament as well, making the most of whatever long-weekends the slo-pitch league can take advantage of.

Residents in Fort Smith are preparing for a possible evacuation due to a forest fire burning about 90 kilometres outside of town.

There are also emergency registration forms and pamphlets that were handed out to residents three weeks ago and posted online on the Town of Fort Smith’s website, to prepare for any situation where the town would need to be evacuated.
But Fort Smith Mayor Janie Hobart said that these are only precautions, as there is no immediate danger to the town.
“There are no fires that are actually threatening the town,” she said.
“But we want to make sure that if something happens, that we are as prepared as we can be.”
She also said that all the agencies involved with the emergency measures are having regular meetings, and all are doing whatever they can to help ensure ample communication with the situation.
“I have been very impressed with the cooperation between agencies,” she said. “It is really nice to see.”
Hobart also noted that the town is posting daily updates online around 2 p.m. to keep both residents and travellers posted.
A phone line, 872-8408 has also been activated, and highly used, she noted.
As of Saturday the phone line had approximately 124 hits.
Hobart said that closures were not expected for Monday night, but the Department of Transportation website warns drivers that Highway 5 may be closed with short notice if visibility is reduced to a dangerous level.
“We are in no imminent danger,” she said.
“But conditions are very, very hot and dry.”
Drivers are advised to check the Department of Transportation website before travelling for any advisories or road closures.
A fire ban is also currently in place for Fort Smith.

Hosting their home tournament this past weekend, Hay River’s midget hockey team finished up in third after facing some tough competition.
Hay River had a sluggish first game against Fort Smith, but came out on top.
The team came together while playing the eventual tournament champions High Level, tying the game five each.

In their final game on Saturday Hay River seemed to lose motivation, after a 7-0 shutout for Lacrete ended the game early.
Lacrete scored an easy five goals in the first two periods, seemingly discouraging the Huskies.
Lacrete advanced quickly into first throughout the tournament, putting Hay River in third by the end of Saturday’s match-ups.
Sunday saw the renewal of the Hay River team, who won against Yellowknife to meet up against High Level in the semi-finals.
A good first period by both teams saw the score tied 2-2 but Hay River got into some penalty problems and were down 6-2 heading into the third. They were untilmately unable to overcome the four-point deficit.
But despite not making it to the final game, Hay River managed to beat out Fort Smith in the bronze medal game.
It was a tight match up, as the first goal scored by the Huskies early in the first period was quickly evened out by Fort Smith.
But the Huskies kept it together scoring another two goals within minutes of each other, creating a 3-1 lead at the end of the first.
Hay River scored again early in the second, widening the lead.
Fort Smith returned  a goal with just over nine minutes left in the period.
Just over a minute later they score again, catching up on the solid lead the Huskies had at the beginning.
Following the goal, Hay River picked up the momentum scoring quick off a face-off in the oppositions end, finishing the period with a 5-3 lead.
The Huskies were quick to score again just over a minute into the period regaining domination on the ice.
Fort Smith retaliated with a return goal, but ran out of steam at the end.
Three quick  goals by Hay River solidified a final win of 10-4, placing them in a final third place for the tournament.
High Level and Lacrete faced off in an intense back and forth final.
Lacrete, who was previously dominating the tournament, was beaten by High Level in a 5-4 win to take the tournament title.
Coach Curtis Rowe, who returned to coaching after a three-year break, said he was pleased by the turnout at this year’s tournament.
“I believe five teams at the midget level is a good turnout,” he said.
The final standings saw High Level in first, Lacrete in second, Hay River in third, Fort Smith in fourth and Yellowknife in fifth place.

This year marked the second annual Fort Smith Slopitch Tournament, and the turnout far surpassed that of the inaugural year. This year 14 teams registered for the event, over twice the number of last year’s six.
Teams travelled from across the NWT and even Alberta to take part in the weekend long tournament.

Two teams from the Hay River area made the trek, making the most of a fun filled weekend.
“From my standpoint, the ball tournament was really well organized,” said South Slave Selects member Darlene Lamb.
“There were lots of activities for the ball players. The [South Slave Friendship Festival] happened at the same time. The campground was full, the hotels were full. It was great.”
Peace River cleaned up and came out on top winning the tournament.
The Fort Smith Northstars came in second place overall.
Lamb and the South Slave Selects finished in third place overall, followed by the Fort Chip 2 4’s. The Hay River Ballskins finished in fifth.
Josh Campbell was named the top male batter of the tournament, and Theresa Bourke the top female.
Lamb and James Sanderson were both named the most sportsmanlike for the weekend, and Terry Webster hit the most home runs.
The batting derby winners for this year’s event were Sandy Poitras and Justin Bourque.

The Fort Smith Northstars proved they were the cream of the crop during last weekend’s Coors Slo-pitch Tournament, going undefeated through the round robin and playoffs to capture the title on Monday afternoon.
“It was a really good tournament,” the Northstar’s Matt Bourke said moments after his team defeated the South Slave Selects 12-2 in front of a vocal crowd at Pine Point Ballpark.
“We all had lots of fun, and it was really well organized.”

The Northstars came out of the gate quickly in Monday’s final, scoring two runs in the top of the first to take an early lead.
The Selects responded in their half of the inning, thanks to a one out, run-scoring single by pitcher Brian Dyck.
After both teams went scoreless in the second, the Northstars blew the game open with a five-run third. Fort Smith led off the inning with a double to deep centre, cashing that runner with a one-out single to left field. After quickly loading the bases, the Northstars continued their rally with a single to left field, scoring two. With runners at both second and third, Fort Smith scored one run on a sacrifice fly to deep in centre field. They scored another as the relay throw sailed into their dugout.
After setting down the Selects one-two-three in the bottom of the third, the Northstars solidified their lead with a four-run fourth.
Dyck tried to help his own cause in the bottom of the fourth, lining a pitch over the fence in centre to close the gap to 11-2 after four.
The Northstars led off the fifth with a triple to centre field, bringing the runner home on a one-out single to right field.
Down by 10 heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Selects had to score one run to prolong the game.
The Selects, made up of players from Hay River, Fort Smith, Fort Resolution, Fort Providence, and Yellowknife, had made the final thanks to a
“I think we did all right,” Morin said moments after the game. The team had been able to recover from slow starts in previous games, though they were unable to in the final, Morin said. “When we’re on, we’re on.”
Two Hay River teams were eliminated from play in the semi-finals. Andy’s Auto had gone undefeated through five games en route to a semi-final showdown with the Selects on Monday morning. Despite being up 10-6 heading into the top of the seventh, Andy’s were unable to contain the Selects, who scored five to take a one-run lead.
Andy’s pitcher Kenny Power forced extra innings with a two-out solo home run. Both teams scored one run in their half of the eighth to send the game to the ninth.
The Selects offense exploded for 13 runs in the top of the ninth, blowing the game wide open. Down 25-12 heading into the bottom of the inning, Andy’s quickly scored one run on a sacrifice fly but were unable to muster anymore offense, losing 25-13.
In the other semi-final, Carter’s Crushers faced off against the Northstars. Fort Smith quickly jumped out to a 8-0 lead through three innings before surrendering two runs in the top of the fourth. Neither team was able to score from that point on, with Fort Smith coming out on top, 8-2.
Morin said the Selects are hoping for some revenge at the second annual Fort Smith Mixed Slo Pitch Tournament from August 13-15. The Selects took the inaugural championship last year.
“It should be good,” Morin said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
Bourke said he twelve teams have signed up for the tournament, which features a $10,000 payout.
“We just hope that people will come out to Fort Smith,” he said. “We are taking 12 teams, and I think there are three left.

They may have come out on the losing end of the Hazard’s Women’s Hockey Tournament final, but you wouldn’t know it by talking to members of the Hay River Explosive team following the game.
The team, who had survived a scare in their semi-final game against the High Level Cruzers, had little time to catch their breath before taking on the Fort Smith Rage in the final.

Living up to their name, the Rage came out of the gate quick and opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game. They expanded the lead to 2-0 by the five minute mark of the first and added another goal midway though the second, and final, period.
Hay River Explosive’s Leighann Campbell said the team was in tough during the game, their third of the day.
“It was 3-0, but we were tired and we fought,” she said. “They are a good team too. Anything could have happened.”
The Rage’s Jessica Cox picked up her team’s first two tallies and assisted on the third. Coming into the tournament, the players were unsure how the team, which featured a mix of players from Fort Smith and High Level, would perform.
“We gelled really well,” Cox said.
“We were tired by the end of the day (Saturday)but we were really starting to play as a team.”
The Rage’s combination of speed, puck handing and shooting – especially from two their defence, which featured two High Level players – allowed them to go undefeated in the tournament.
“I don’t feel we dominated the tournament,” Cox said. “It was pretty even.”
Hay River’s road to the finals included a heart-stopping semi-final game against the Cruzers, who had finished just behind Hay River in the round robin standings.
After a scoreless first period the High Level players had thought they had opened the scoring five minutes into the second, but neither referee were in position to see if the puck crossed the goal line and the play was ruled inconclusive. After the two teams exchanged chances, High Level scored on the powerplay with 2:34 left in the game to take a 1-0 lead. Explosive’s Angie Hamilton tied the game just over a minute later, and Hay River hung on for the 1-1 tie. Since Hay River had finished higher in the round robin standings, they moved on to final.
Cox complimented the tournament organizers after the final, saying the format left every team in contention heading into Sunday’s playoffs.
“I think the tournament organizers did a really great job, as usual,” Cox said. “I really liked it because it didn’t matter how you did Friday or Saturday in the round robin, you had a shot at the final on Sunday.”
Campbell was quick to agree.
“It’s just a great bunch of girls. Everybody helps out and there’s always exciting stuff happening,” she said of the volunteers. “The hockey’s usually good. I don’t think there was one game this weekend that was a straight blowout.”
The other teams participating in the tournament included the Fort Smith Wrath, Hay River Dynamite, Fort Simpson Moosehide Mammas and Hay River Flammable.