The Black Mamba's are the 2012 champions of the Whitehorse Women's Hockey League, after defeating the Red Rebels 2-1 in last night's final at the Canada Games Centre.

"It feels great to get the win,” said Mamba's co-captain Jacquie Clune.

Clune was a force on the puck throughout the game, netting the team's two goals and leading the offensive attack.

The Mamba's were forced to play without their other co-captain and the team's points leader, Alyssa Beckett.

Beckett spent the majority of the game at the emergency room, tending to an injured hand, but was able to make it back for the final minutes.

"I got here and it was 2-1 and I didn't know what was happening with the game,” she said.

"But it was a great finish.”

After playing five on five hockey for the majority of the game, the Mamba's incurred two penalties in the final minutes, giving the Rebels a 5-on-3 advantage.

"That was a crazy finish,” said Guiniveve Lalena, centre with the Mamba's and the secretary of the league.

"I was on the bench bobble heading between the play in our end and the scoreboard, watching the seconds tick down.”

The Rebels pulled their goalie in the final seconds but we were unable to net the equalizer.

After a scoreless first period, the Mamba's got on the board when Clune was able to find the back of the net five minutes into the second period.

The Rebels responded with a flurry of offensive opportunities but Mamba's goaltender, Amy Gill, was able to keep the door closed.

Clune got into the scoring column again four minutes into the third period, beating the Rebel's Sue Roy on a beautiful move towards the net.

Christine Kirk responded for the Rebels, breaking the drought with eight minutes remaining in the game.

The final minutes were tense as the Rebels attacked relentlessly in hopes of evening the score.

Lalena credited the teams defensive positioning and their cohesiveness on the ice in preventing the Rebels from evening the score.

"We have a great vibe in the dressing room and surprisingly little nerves in the game,” she said.

Beckett also highlighted the team's chemistry.

"We have a lot of different skill sets but we seem to mesh really well, our beginning

players feed of our more advanced players and we come together very well,” she said.

The Mamba's played three games to reach the final and Lalena said they were optimistic even with the absence of Beckett.

"We knew coming into the game she was out with an injury and we were wondering how we were going to pull it together but we don't hinge our successes on one or two players, we play pretty well as a team,” she said.

The team also benefited from the strong goaltending of Amy Gill and the offensive

output of Clune.

"Jacquie is awesome,” said Lalena. "She's one of the top players in the league.”

The championship marks the end of a successful season for the league.

"It was a great year,” said Lalena. "We had six teams this year and we're starting to grow and get more attention.”

The league has players ranging from top tier college programs to those who are just getting on the ice for the first time.

"The skill level is incredibly varied and everyone can learn from each other.

"We mix up the teams and we've all played with each other so it's a good, positive spirit on the ice. It's a lot of fun.”