The Whitehorse Minor Hockey League hosted the 2025 U9 Hockey Championships from Jan. 10 to 12, drawing approximately 140 competitors and 12 teams from communities across the territory.
Players from Watson Lake, Teslin, Carmacks, Dawson City and Haines Junction travelled to Whitehorse over the weekend games to lace up and smack the puck around on the Whitehorse Canada Games Centre's ATCO rink.
The PNW U9 Whitehorse hockey team demonstrated skill out on the ice, maintaining a steady streak of wins throughout the weekend games. Their consistent performance culminated in a final match where they emerged victorious against Whitehorse’s Kilrich U9 team on Jan. 12.
In a recap email sent to parents, tournament manager Josh Savill highlighted PNW's consistent and strategic play, which he said earned them a formidable reputation as undefeated champions.
Kilrich U9 came in a close second by demonstrating strong performances over the weekend, securing easy wins against teams, Dawson City, Red Beard and Canadian Tire. Continuing their dominance on the ice, they knocked out the high-performing Castle Rock team in the quarterfinals, according to Savill's email.
Red Beard secured third place after losing to Kilrich in the semifinals. They ranked second in pool matches by outscoring Dawson City and Canadian Tire, then triumphed over Klondike Chev in the quarterfinals before being defeated by Kilrich once again in the semifinals.
The Big Bear U9 team started the weekend games slowly, losing to the Haines Junction/Carmacks and Klondike Chev teams. They rebounded to beat Wildstone, won a rematch against Haines Junction/Carmacks in the quarterfinals, lost to PNW in a semifinal shootout, ultimately finishing in fourth.
The Haines Junction/Carmacks team maintained steady momentum during pool matches, securing first place by defeating Big Bear and Klondike Chev despite a loss to Wildstone. A loss to Big Bear in the semifinals relegated them to the fifth-and-eighth place games, tying for fifth and sixth place with Watson/Teslin.
The twelve-team championships consisted of three pools, each with four teams. Every team played three round-robin games and at least two playdown games. Teams earned two points for a win, one point for a tie and zero points for a loss, according to championship's schedule document.
Two games took place simultaneously on the half-ice during the tournament with the game pausing every three minutes to allow for line changes.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com