It had all the makings of a modern-day fairytale.

Just two and a half months before the 2007 Canada Winter Games opened in Whitehorse, the Manitoba men's hockey team suffered a huge personal loss. The team's honourary captain, Todd Davison, who was the assistant captain at the 2003 Games, lost his battle with cancer.

Sporting patches in honour of their fallen teammate with his initials, number and the word 'Believe' and carrying his spirit with them, the members of Team Manitoba set out to achieve something their province had never done before. They were determined to bring home Canada Games gold.

Coming into the tournament ranked seventh, up against six teams ranked higher, including provincial giants Ontario, Alberta and Quebec, Team Manitoba wasn't talked about as a pre-tournament favourite.

Even after a convincing 12-2 win over Prince Edward Island, followed by a respectable showing in a 5-2 loss to powerhouse Ontario, Manitoba still didn't seem to be getting the respect they were working so hard to earn. People said they were too small.

But after a thrilling, quarter-final win over Quebec in overtime, and a 5-1 semi-final victory against top-ranked and two-time defending champion Alberta, suddenly the long-shots from Manitoba had nearly everyone in the Yukon capital, and many across Canada, behind them.

With one last obstacle to climb on their path to hockey supremacy, they took to the ice against Ontario Friday evening, in a final match-up that could well have been billed as David vs. Goliath.

Ontario took an early 2-0 lead on goals by Cody Hodgson and Nazem Kadri, but much to the delight of a packed house at Takhini Arena, Manitoba battled back with two quick goals of their own, notched by Shayne Wiebe and captain Tyler Schmidt.

Ontario pulled ahead again on the power play, with a beauty by Steve Stamkos, and it was 3-2 heading into the first intermission.

Just 29 seconds into the second period, Ontario found the back of the net once more, making it 4-2, but Manitoba's David Toews answered back with his first of two goals on the night, cutting the lead to one.

Michael Del Zotto's goal just a couple of minutes later restored the two-goal lead for Ontario and spelled the end for Manitoba goalie Mark Friesen.

Kyle Birch came on in relief and that seemed to spark the players on Team Manitoba, as Toews potted his second of the night, making it 5-4 at the end of the second period and chasing Ontario goalie Edward Pasquale.

That was as close as Manitoba would get, though. With just over ten minutes to go in the third, Stefan Della Rovere made it 6-4 Ontario, and net minder Chris Carrozzi shut the door the rest of the way.

Despite their best efforts, Manitoba just couldn't top their seemingly much larger counterparts, a squad laden with both defensive and offensive talent. The story-book ending was written for somebody else.

For the first time in 16 years, Ontario was draped in Canada Games gold.

'We wanted to win for Ontario badly,' stated head coach Marty Williamson. 'It feels great. This is a great group of kids. This group just persevered.'

Williamson said his crew went into the gold medal game knowing they had to be quick and really skate hard against Manitoba, a team he said was built on momentum.

'When you get two goalies pulled in a gold medal game, it's kind of unusual,' he acknowledged. 'You need leadership to get you through it.'

One of the leaders Williamson was able to count on throughout the tournament was Stamkos, a young athlete many agree is a star in the making.

A first-round pick of the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting, Stamkos didn't disappoint at these Games, finishing with 11 goals and four assists.

'It was an unbelievable experience,' said Stamkos following the medal ceremonies Friday. 'We knew it was going to be a tough game. They showed heart, coming back three times from a deficit. It was a great battle and I think the fans really enjoyed it.

'I'm just so proud of all the guys. This ranks right up there in my hockey career. It's a great accomplishment.'

For Manitoba, it was a tough loss to swallow. While they were proud of how far they had come and what they had accomplished this year's silver was just their second medal of any colour since the Games began in 1967 Toews couldn't help but feel like they let the ultimate prize slip through their fingers.

'It could have went both ways. Ontario �- give them credit. They battled from start to finish. There wasn't much difference. They just kept getting that go-ahead goal.'

Taking a moment to thank all of the team's fans for their support throughout the tournament, Toews and Schmidt also spoke about Davison, a young man they called a constant motivator.

'He helped out with our team, always believed in us,' said Schmidt. 'We all love the guy.'

'We were here to play for him,' added Toews. 'He was with us the whole time. It's too bad we couldn't win it for him.'

As the last of the spectators trickled out of the arena Friday, and the men's hockey action at the Canada Winter Games officially came to a close, both Stamkos and Williamson offered parting kudos to staff and volunteers, as well as the residents of Whitehorse, for a job well done.

'This whole atmosphere is what makes this so special,' remarked Williamson.

'Unbelievable,' stated Stamkos, when asked about his Games experience. 'All of the volunteers and staff who put this together did an excellent job. I had so much fun and I'll never forget this.'