Team Mayo had rat problems in the A final of the Whitehorse Oldtimers Tournament at Takhini Arena on Sunday.
After trailing by a goal for most of the game, the Roadhouse Hairball Rats tied the score late in the second (of two periods), eventually scoring in overtime for a 2-1 win and their second straight division A title.
Scoring the game winner for the Rats was Laurie Malo, assisted by Tony Clennett and Gary Rusnak, who scored the first goal with 3:36 left in regulation.
“We held it down in their end, took a couple bangs at it, and Malo came through for us,” said Clennett. “It was tight checking, but Malo had a shot and put her in the back.”
Mayo’s appearance marks the first time – or at least the first time in recent memory – the town had its own team at the tournament, instead of some Mayo players joining another squad.
For the tournament, about five came down from Mayo, “and there are some guys that live here from Mayo as well, maybe about three of them, and the rest were local Whitehorse guys
that play in the oldtimer league,” said Mayo’s James Buyck.
“They capitalized on their chances and we didn’t. That was the bottom line,” he added of the final. “They’re a great bunch of guys, we competed hard, we were just a goal short.”
Scoring for Mayo was Kevin Johnstone, assisted by Buyck and Billy Power.
Anchorage regains B title
Six unanswered goals spelled the end for Haines Junction in the B final on Sunday.
Tied 1-1 after one period, Anchorage went on a second-period scoring spree, with two in the last minute, for a 7-1 win over Haines Junction
“I think they got stronger and we started to sit back a bit,” said Haines Junction forward Lloyd Freese. “A couple of bad bounces, a couple of penalties and all of a sudden it was too many
to too few.”
“This one was close in the first period, but I think they just ran out of gas a little bit,” said Anchorage coach, GM and player John Hansen. “They have some really good hockey players.
“We ended up sneaking away in the end of games, but we had four good hockey games.”
Doing the most damage for the undefeated Anchorage team were Blayne Monahan with a hat trick and an assist, plus Hansen and Mark Lacrosse, both with three assists.
Scoring for Haines Junction was Guy Mayner, assisted by Dan Drummond.
A rematch of sorts, Anchorage missed last year’s tournament but won the B division in 2009, beating Haines Junction 5-4 in the final.
“I’ve made 15 trips to this hockey tournament over the last 18 years – I’ve probably only missed three,” said Hansen, 53. “I keep looking for a wife here, but I’m not finding one – I want to
move here. They take a slight liking to me and then they get rid of me.”
Tuesday Oldtimers three-peat
Tuesday and Thursday shinny games have been enough to keep the skills of the Tuesday Oldtimers team sharp.
The Tuesday Oldtimers team took a 3-2 win over Watson Lake to win their third straight C division title on Sunday.
Having lost three players to injury throughout the tournament, the Tuesday squad had to juggle their lines a little. One alteration included moving defenseman Gord Kuchler up to centre for
the first time in his playing career, putting him in place to score the game-winner with 4:17 left in the second. Assisting Kuchler were Brian Boleen and Dan Otterbein, who went on the
breakaway and took the first shot. It rebounded, and Kuchler put it in the net.
In fact, the Tuesday Oldtimers had quite a few breakaways. Their second goal, scored by Fred Linville, resulted from one.
“Cherry pickers, eh,” said Watson Lake’s Frank Thomas jokingly. “I think they are from fruitland, because they are always picking cherries on the ice.
“It was a lot of fun – a great tournament. Whitehorse is stepping it up and I’m glad to come.”
Finding the back of the net for Watson Lake were Joe Thomas and Kevin Maichen, both assisted by Danny Etzel. Scoring Tuesday’s opening goal was Phil Timpany.
Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com