While the Whitehorse Northern Cross Mustangs midget rep hockey team has been getting most of the attention this season, the bantam and pee wee rep players are determined to prove there is more than one team worth talking about in town.

This past weekend, they went a long way toward proving it, as both teams travelled to Kitimat, B.C. for AA tournaments, and both groups also returned home with silver medals draped around their necks.

And with the atom development team sweeping a development tournament in Kitimat earlier this season, it's becoming more obvious that the increased success in the Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association system is enveloping all levels of play.

There are probably numerous factors in the recent outcomes for Yukon teams, but two of the biggest ones have to be an increased work ethic something instilled by some great up-and-coming coaches and consistent goaltending, at all levels.

Just ask Dave Pearson, the head coach of the pee wee rep team, who summed up his team's effort in Kitimat by saying, 'they played their hearts out.'

The pee wee Mustangs won all three round-robin games, losing only one game all weekend a heartbreaker in the gold medal final.

They started with a 4-3 win over Kitimat on Friday evening, thanks to goals from Trevor Hanna, Adrian Hawkins, David Stephens and Travis Rivest. Hanna also picked up a pair of assists while Gibson Pearson had two helpers. Bryden Engren-Cook and Ryley O'Connor each finished with one assist. The Mustangs' MVP for the game was goaltender Brad Gustafson.

Early Saturday morning, the Mustangs took on the eventual gold medalists from Smithers, in what the coach called their best game of the tournament. Backstopped by goalie Steven Harlow, Whitehorse edged Smithers 5-4.

David Stephens led the Mustangs offensively, with two goals and two assists, while Gibson, Rivest and Hanna also hit the twine. Chris Vance, Engren-Cook and Rylan Bechtel chipped in with assists.

The MVP for the game was Chris Vance, who threw some solid body checks that really energized the team, said Dave.

'There wasn't one single person who didn't show up for us,' said Dave. 'But Chris had such a strong game, threw some really big hits. He set the tone for the entire tournament.'

Rivest said Smithers was a tough team, with lots of good-sized players. But overall, he said, the Mustangs probably threw more body checks.

Whitehorse had another solid outing Saturday afternoon, beating Terrace 7-4. Stephens once again led the scoring, with two goals and two assists, while Hanna added two goals and one assist. Engren-Cook and Rivest each contributed a goal and an assist while Vance also found the back of the net. O'Connor was credited with one helper.

The game MVP was Hanna.

In the final game Sunday, Whitehorse would once again be up against Smithers. The Mustangs were confident heading into it, after their hard-fought victory over the B.C. team in Game 2. But in the end, they lost a close one, 4-3.

The Mustangs were leading 2-1 going into the third period, but ran out of gas and lost momentum when Smithers capitalized on a couple powerplays in the third period.

Rivest said the players were just so tired from skating hard and playing for the first three games, and Vance agreed.

'We were doing good in the first and second (periods), but then we started getting tired in the third,' said Vance.

Hanna, Stephens and Gibson provided the offence for the Mustangs. Hanna also had two assists while Stephens and Bechtel each collected one assist.

Smithers had played about 25 games already, Dave pointed out, and were touted as the strongest team in their region heading into the tournament. Considering Whitehorse beat them once and came close in the final, they have to be proud of their performance, said the coach.

'I'm proud as heck. They played their hearts out. It's really worthwhile to travel 16 hours and see a team succeed like that.

'They don't get a lot of games against guys like that. To see the confidence build after each win ... it was really worthwhile.'

Dave said the goaltending duo of Harlow and Gustafson was excellent throughout the tournament, making some huge saves. Jim Stephens, an assistant coach, along with Andrew Bechtel, credited the recent goalie clinic put on in Whitehorse for a huge improvement in both athletes' play this season.

But overall, said Dave, the Mustangs just played well as a team.

'This is a really together unit. They like to pass the puck.'

Rivest agreed one of the strong points for the team was great communication with each other, both on and off the ice. But what they did best, he said, was never letting up.

'When we were down a goal, we'd come back up with spirit and have a lot of fun.'

Meanwhile, the bantam Mustangs were also playing some aggressive and determined hockey in Kitimat over the weekend. Up against six teams at their AA tournament, Whitehorse came out strong in their first game against Smithers Friday morning.

Assistant coach Dan Johnson said the team 'utilized an aggressive forecheck along with an attack based around cycling down low, and using the high guy' on odd-man rushes.'

The Mustangs held the play in Smithers' end for most of the game, but failed to capitalize on their chances. On the opposite end, Smithers capitalized on the few chances they got.

Whitehorse trailed 2-0 after one, 3-0 after two and lost 4-0 despite out-shooting the opposition.

The Mustangs would turn things around in Game 2. After a night's rest, they came out ready to battle the hometown team Saturday morning. Coty Fraser would get them on the board first, assisted by Joe Densmore. After one period of play, the score was tied 1-1.

Owen MacKinnon lit the lamp for Whitehorse in the second period, on a nice pass from Jaxon Glass. But heading into the third, they found themselves trailing 3-2, despite controlling the play for the majority of the game.

With what Johnson described as a 'gutsy effort,' Cale Bechtel tied the game for Whitehorse, assisted by Glass. Tanner Kulych then potted the go-ahead goal, which proved to be the winner. Defenceman Alex Johnston drew an assist.

The Mustangs went into Game 3 needing a win to clinch a spot in the final. Continuing to dominate on the forecheck, they swarmed Terrace on the way to out-shooting them 57-23.

Joe Densmore opened the scoring and Travis Park added another marker, to make the score 2-1 after one.

Whitehorse continued to control the play in the second, using the cycle and playing responsible hockey in their own end. However, untimely breakdowns and a little bit of luck kept Terrace in the game, said Johnson. Heading into the third, the scored was tied 3-3.

But once the Mustangs realized they were just a goal and twenty minutes of hockey away from the gold medal game, they came out in full force. Glass made a pretty tip on a shot from Lawrence Brennan from the point to put them ahead. MacKinnon then put the nails in the coffin, as Whitehorse took the game by a final score of 5-3.

The final game turned out to be a rematch of the opening game, as the bantams also faced off against Smithers for gold. The game took a bad turn right off the bat, as one of the Mustangs was ejected for a checking from behind penalty. Smithers scored on the ensuing power play, but Whitehorse battled back with a goal by Kulych, assisted by Fraser.

However, they got into more penalty trouble in the second, where Smithers would score two more goals. And when Mustangs centre Glass injured his back, it was an even larger uphill battle. The scored ended 3-1 for Smithers.

'It was a really good performance by everybody,' said Mike Johnson, head coach of the bantams. 'After the Fort St. John tournament (earlier this season), we were talking about the need for a solid third line. Well they just did great this time.

'They were the only line that never got scored on the entire tournament, they created some offence, and they gave some more room for our first and second line players.

'Those guys really did what we asked them to do. They were on a mission.'

Jeremy Nugent, Chantelle Rivest, Dalton Edzerza and Riley Tobin made up the GRD, or Git R' Done, line.

Mike was also pleased with the goaltending effort of Smeeton. Smeeton not only received an MVP award during the tournament, but also the grinder hat in Game 2. The grinder award is given out after every game to the player on the team who 'went to war', similar to what the NHL's Calgary Flames did in their Stanley Cup run in 2004.

Kulych, Travis Park and Chantelle also won the grinder awards during the weekend's action.

Lawrence Brennan played his first weekend as captain of the team and proved to be a force on the ice while also providing leadership in a vocal manner, said Dan.

'These are hard workers,' stated Mike. 'We make a lot of opportunities by using a very aggressive forecheck. This weekend, I would say all four games we played, we outworked the other team.

'It's a big boost mentally for our kids to have this kind of success. Then they actually believe in themselves. They didn't have that kind of success in Fort St. John or Fairbanks, so it's important for them to see it now.'

The bantams will now look forward to their rematch with Fairbanks, as the North Stars will be in Whitehorse Feb. 10-12 for a five-game series. While the Mustangs lost all four games against Fairbanks in Alaska earlier this season, the coaching staff expects a much different result this time around.

'The last game against them, we played to win and lost by just two goals,' said Mike. 'And we've come a long way since then. It will be really interesting to measure our team against them and see where we're at.'

Mike said the team will spend the next two weeks in practice working on their defensive zone coverage and faceoffs in their own end. They're also starting to work on another power play setup that's 'not just a load-up on one side.'

'The one thing (the coaching staff) has started realizing is that these guys are like sponges. We're actually just learning how much more we can teach them.

'With one practice, on the Tuesday before we left (for Kitimat), we taught them a new style of power play. They used it the entire time down there and executed it just like they were taught.'

The pee wees will now set their sights on the B.C. provincials championships, which will be held in Port Alberni in mid-March, as well as a tournament in Grande Prairie Feb. 10-12.