The Whitehorse Mustangs, who play in the bantam league here in Whitehorse, travelled to Coquitlam, British Colombia, to take part in the tier-three peewee tournament.

Being their first tournament of the season head coach Derek Johnstone, wanted to see how they matched up against tier three teams, he must of liked what he saw, as his team answered any doubts, going on to win gold, only losing one of their six games.

The Mustangs started the tournament off strong, handling the teams they faced, on the way to lopsided victories.

Despite the disparity in some of the scores, Johnstone liked the effort his team put forward, never letting their foot off the gas.

“We played with high intensity and a desire to win,” said Johnstone. “We played as a team, with all players contributing on the score sheet, as well as all over the ice.”

The team’s only loss came against Aldergrove 5-4. The Mustangs ran into a hot goaltender, which frustrated the team.

“They (Aldergrove) had a really good goalie,” said Johnstone. “They must have stopped 40-50 shots. Our team started to get frustrated and starting taking a lot of penalties.”

The Mustangs got their redemption as the final of the tournament was a rematch with Aldergrove. The Mustangs won the game 6-1, showing they are a resilient group.

“Mental toughness is something our coaches have stressed,” said Johnstone. “Being mentally strong to finish off teams and games which are close.”

With their first tournament, and first gold medal of the season wrapped up, Johnstone has positive takeaways to build upon for their next tournament.

“It’s always interesting to see how your team bonds, and our new younger players all bring something to our core which makes it easier as a team,” said Johnstone. “I think our team had fun this weekend and can focus on our next tournament with some confidence.”

The Mustangs will be moving up to tier two in their next tournament at the beginning of November.