A mishmash of unwanted players had impromptu success over the weekend.
Team Tim Hortons - made up of players who weren’t picked up by other teams - went undefeated to win the A division of the Whitehorse Oldtimers Tournament on Sunday at Takhini Arena.
“We didn’t conspire to make this team, it just got put together for us, and it just gelled right off the bat,” said captain Wally Liley. “There were teams that were better than us on paper, but we just gelled and the other teams had a hard time gelling, I guess. And we played hard.”
The squad was Tim Hortons on paper - on the schedule and the scoresheets - but they really just used the jerseys from a team in the Whitehorse Oldtimers Hockey League. Only three players from the champion team play for Tim Hortons.
“We just used the jerseys,” said Liley. “We were just random guys who didn’t get on a team; they just threw a bunch of randoms together. So that’s what just makes it a little sweeter.”
The Timmy team topped the A division with a 3-1 win over Tuesday Night Thunder in the final.
Rob Green, Gerry Rivest and Blayne Monahan scored for the coffee crew in the final. Goalie Matt King got the win.
“We had a hell of a goaltender,” said Liley. “He stopped a beauty there at the end and that really pumped us up. It’s nice to depend on a guy to stop the puck.”
“A few of us were supposed to be on (Thunder) ... No one knew who was on this team up to two or three days ago,” he added.
“I’ve been on random teams like this that have been a disaster.”
Duncan Harwood scored for the Thunder, assisted by Matt Kremer.
B.C.‘s Dease Lake downed Carmacks 5-2 in the B division final.
Dease Lake’s Brandon Moffatt and Brent Cook each had two goals and Mike Hamhuis had a goal and two assists.
Mike Sage and Andrew Smith scored for Carmacks.
WOHL C posted a 3-2 win over Watson Lake in the C division final.
WOHL’s Derick Bilodeau had two goals, including the game-winner unassisted. Marty O’Hagan also scored for WOHL (Whitehorse Oldtimer Hockey League).
This year’s tournament featured 12 teams, including ones from Watson Lake and Dawson City.
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com