To call the Whitehorse Mustangs a gold medal favourite at this week's British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association Midget AA Championships might be a tad presumptuous, especially considering they have yet to face the majority of teams which made the trip to provincials this year.

But considering the Mustangs' impressive record this year, which includes a tournament championship in Abbotsford and a second-place finish at an international event in Richmond, they have to at least be considered a contender for the provincial title.

They've suffered just three losses all season, one at the hands of the Kerry Park Islanders, who are at the championships this week, and the other two against a AAA midget team from the Okanagan Hockey Academy. They swept two four-game series against the Anchorage North Stars, as well as a series against the Burnaby Winter Hawks, earlier this season.

Add to that the home-ice advantage throughout this week, as well as the gold ulu at Arctic Winter Games last week.

'I honestly think we're going to be the team to beat,' said Mustangs goaltender Ian Perrier, following a light practice for the team Monday afternoon. 'We just have to focus on our game and what we do well, not worry about what the other teams are doing.'

That's not to say the Mustangs are underestimating the competition. Coach Mike Young fully acknowledged that the teams they'll face this week will present a much higher calibre of hockey than those at AWG.

'Every team had to beat quite a few teams just to be here, so you know they can play good hockey,' said Young. 'If we take any team lightly, we're going to lose.'

But Young feels if the Mustangs can just stick to their system and believe in their own abilities, there's a good chance they could come out on top.

The Mustangs' powerplay, which has been a thorn in their side all season, has come a long way over the last few weeks, Young said. It seems like those players dedicated to special teams are finally starting to find the right chemistry.

'We ended up getting a couple of early goals on the powerplay (at AWG), so the confidence was there for the rest of the tournament. Confidence is huge, so we're hoping we can keep that momentum going this week.'

The last time the midget championships were held in Whitehorse was 1990, when the local team was known as the Hougen's Hawks. The Hawks were also considered contenders for the title and they also went into provincials on a gold ulu high from AWG. But with just one day between the two events, the Whitehorse crew burned out, failing to capture a medal in front of the home town crowd.

That could be somewhat of a concern again this year, but the scheduling is much more in favour of the Mustangs this time around. The Hawks played eight games in seven days at the 1990 AWG while the Mustangs played just four. The Mustangs also enjoyed a longer turnaround, with three days in between the two events.

Asked if he's concerned about the possible energy level on the home team, Mustangs veteran Josh Craven said 'not at all.

'We've been doing intense practices all year, we're used to it. We'll be fine. It's going to be some good competition, it'll be tough, but I think we'll come out on top.'

Perrier, who Young said is 'really in a zone' the past couple of weeks, is confident in the team in front of him and doesn't believe there are any glaring weaknesses to the Mustangs' game. It's no secret they have a balanced scoring attack and the defence, he said, 'saved me quite a few times (at AWG).'

Perrier also feels as though he's at the top of his game right now, with both the experience of recent competition and the work he did with Medicine Hat Tigers (Western Hockey League) goalie coach Eli Wilson earlier this year.

'I've learned a lot this year and right now, I'm putting it all together.'

The Mustangs opened the provincial championships with a game against Aldergrove at 11 a.m. today, and have an 8 p.m. matchup versus rival Quesnel. Opening ceremonies for the championships are at 7:30, just prior to the late game.

All games this week will take place at Takhini Arena. The Star will have full results following each day of competition.

Meanwhile, the Whitehorse Mustangs bantam AA rep hockey team is currently attending the provincial championships in Richmond. The bantams lost to Smithers 3-2 in their opener and then dropped their second game to Dawson Creek 7-3.

The Mustangs, who also competed at the AWG and won bronze, have already been plagued by injuries in the first two days of provincials. Second-year forwards Owen MacKinnon and Jaxon Glass, as well as Travis Park, were all reported as questionable for today's game.

MacKinnon didn't play in the second game Monday while Glass started but didn't finish.

The pee wee AA rep hockey team also lost their first two games at the provincial championships in Port Alberni. Whitehorse dropped a 4-3 decision to Smithers followed by a 7-4 decision to Quesnel.