Nunavut boys are golden

Nunavut’s under-15 male hockey team won gold at the Arctic Winter Games on Friday.

Nunavut’s under-15 Nunavut hockey team celebrates after defeating the Yukon1-0, securing the gold medal at the Arctic Winter Games on Friday. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)

They edged out the Yukon in a tight 1-0 game on the last full day of tournaments at the Games in Whitehorse that wind down on Saturday. 

“It’s just a blast,”said Oden Tatty, a 15-year-old from Rankin Inlet. 

He has played hockey since he was four and always dreamed of one day playing in the Arctic Winter Games, the sports event that brings 2,000 athletes from eight circumpolar regions every two years.

“I feel awesome. My family back home was cheering for me.”

Nunavut scored its lone goal at the end of the second period and held onto the lead for the rest of the game.

“We played really well,” said 15-year-old Azriel Tagnigou Petnkeu, from Iqaluit. “It feels good to represent home, make everyone proud.”

Nunavut’s under-15 hockey team plays against Yukon on Friday as part of the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)

The win brings up Nunavut’s total gold medal standing to five. 

The territory’s under-19 female hockey team got the bronze medal earlier Friday, after winning 4-1 against the Yukon. 

The Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse opened Sunday and runs until Saturday.

Athletes come from eight regions — Nunavut, Nunavik, Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, northern Alberta, Greenland and the Sápmi region of Scandinavia. Hockey is one of 20 sports athletes compete in.