Three goals in the final period of play was all the scoring Dawson City needed to secure a victory over the Kluane Drillers in Sunday's rec division final of the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Hockey Tournament.

All of the games in the tournament were played at the Takhini Arena, starting Friday afternoon and concluding on Sunday with two division finals.

Air North won the cash division over Boston Pizza by a score of 3-2, while the Dawson City beat the Drillers 3-1.

"It was a fun tournament," said Nathan Dewell, a player on the team from Dawson City. "We just wanted to come, try hard and have some fun. Winning it is extra, we didn't think we would do so well. None of us had played together, so it is a big thing."

What the rec final lacked in scoring, it more than made up in entertainment, which was a treat for the fans that came out to take in the game.

Both teams began the contest by feeling each other out for the first few minutes of the game, playing a more safe and defensive style of hockey.

A power play opportunity for Dawson City, just under the 20-minute mark of the contest, helped pick up the game's tempo. Dawson did a great job passing the puck and, although the team didn't score, they still managed to generate a few shots on net, creating the first scoring chance of the contest.

It didn't take long for the Drillers to find their stride, and the team had their first opportunity to go ahead in the game not long after they killed off the penalty.

The chance was created after a Drillers forward poked the puck away from a Dawson City defenseman and broke in alone on opposing net minder Evan Grant. Grant played it perfectly, and stayed with him the whole time, making the pad save look easy.

The game really opened up at the halfway point of the period, with both teams getting chances in the end-to-end action. After a missed opportunity to score from Dawson City, it was Kluane who got on the board with just 3:28 to go in the opening frame.

Edwin Vanderkley scored the goal on a nice play, where he gained control of the puck after it was tipped forward. Vanderkley then broke into the Dawson zone uncontested, firing a quick snap shot past Grant on the short side of the net.

Despite an additional push from Dawson to draw even before the conclusion of the first period, Kluane managed to hold onto their 1-0 lead after 22 minutes of play.

Dawson City didn't let up at the beginning of the second frame, coming out strong and, within the first few minutes, came close to notching their first goal of the game. The opportunity came after the initial shot was blocked by Drillers goaltender Vance Comex, but a scramble around the net made the rebound difficult to smother and the puck was left uncovered in the crease for a couple of seconds before a player on Kluane cleared it down the ice.

Just under five minutes later, Dawson broke their goose egg, scoring a nice shorthanded goal with 14:43 left in the game. Dewell scored the goal on a hard shot that went underneath Comex.

Kluane, attempting to retake the lead while still on the power play, put some pressure on the opposing team. The Drillers did an impressive job at moving the puck and got a few good shots on net, but Grant stood strong and helped maintain the 1-1 tie.

After a couple of nice saves made by both goaltenders, it was Dawson who went ahead for the first time in the contest, scoring at 11:05 of the second period.

The goal was scored after Comex made the initial save, but couldn't gain complete control of the rebound, which this time Dawson capitalized on jamming it into the net. Lawrence Crayford scored the go-ahead goal of the game for Dawson City.

Comex kept his team in the game, making two great saves following the goal. The first was on a breakaway where he made a quick pad save, blocking the five-hole and the second was a glove save on a hard shot with less than four minutes to go in the contest.

With just over a minute remaining in the game, Comex was pulled for the extra attacker, but despite Kluane's sense of urgency, the team couldn't generate anything.

It was Dawson that took advantage of the empty net to secure the win. Andrew Sprokkreef scored for the team with one second left to close out the game.

The last time this tournament was held was in 2006 and eight teams took part. This year the tournament was divided into two divisions and featured 13 teams in total. Six teams competed in the cash division, while seven made up the rec. group.

The event was organized through the Whitehorse Recreational Hockey League and used the Canadian Adult Recreational Hockey Association guidelines for the rules. Four teams outside Whitehorse's recreational hockey league took part in the competition. This year also marked the first time that the tournament was an associated Rendezvous event.

Players had to be 19 or older to take part and the entry fee for teams in the rec division was $700, while the cash division was slightly higher at $800.

The team from Dawson City was awarded a trophy for winning the rec. division and Air North won a total of $1,000.

Andrew Connors, one of the organizers of the event, said the tournament went really well this year.

"I think over the last ten years this tournament has run six times or something like that and usually there is eight to 10 teams, so it is really positive to have 13," he said. "Next year we will capitalize on this and get the word out even earlier and hopefully we can get more teams signed up earlier as well."

"It is fun to have everybody around the same rink and that is something we don't normally get in the rec. league," he said. "You get two games in a night and that is the only time you see the other teams on the ice, this brings everybody together and more of a social atmosphere. It brings the community out as well."

He said he was impressed with the level of play at this year's event.

"It is good hockey and hopefully more people will come out next year knowing that it is good hockey," Connors said. "Definitely the growth was probably the good news story this year."

Connors said next year they are hoping to have even more teams participate, including some from outside the Yukon such as Juneau, Alaska.