Nunavut hockey teams poised for strong outings on home ice

Teresa Qiatsuq is already an Arctic Winter Games medallist, but she won't be rejoining her basketball teammates in Nuuk, Greenland this year.

Instead, she's staying in her home territory to captain Nunavut's junior female hockey team this week in Iqaluit.

"We're playing at home and I'd like my family to watch. So it was a pretty easy decision," said Qiatsuq.

The 18-year-old from Cape Dorset will have both her adoptive parents, as well as her biological mother in the stands when Team Nunavut opens the tournament against Team Yukon Monday morning at 9 a.m., at Iqaluit's Arnaitok Arena.

"They've never seen me, or the other girls, play in a big tournament like AWG. So now that it's on home ice I feel like there's a lot more pressure on having to get everything right," added Qiatsuq. "So, there's a lot of jitters and excitement."

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Two years ago, Qiatsuq won bronze with a basketball program that hadn't even won a game at the Arctic Winter Games going into the tournament, and girls hockey head coach Steve Paterson is hoping some of that swagger can rub off on his team, who were kept out of the win column in Fairbanks.

"They were able to open eyes and turn some heads and win bronze two years ago. So she brings that 'Don't count us out' attitude to the team," Paterson said.

"That really picks everyone up, including the coaching staff. It's contagious. You've got the older girls looking up to her. You've got the younger girls looking up to her, and she's actually inspired younger leaders."

Paterson says that's huge on a team where the girls' ages range from 12 to 19 years old.

Qiatsuq is one of a handful of players with prior AWG experience – including forwards Joy Angnetsiak and Tapisa Tattuinee – but Paterson and company had to scramble late Sunday to find replacements after veterans Ryleigh McPherson, Joanna Anawak and J.C. Jones all dropped out. Their spots will be filled by Dodie Netser and returning player Maranda Kootoo, both from Iqaluit.

Paterson says the loss of the three veterans – with a combined four years of AWG experience – serves as some pre-tournament adversity, which isn't necessarily a bad thing the night before their first game.

"We'll be stronger because of it. We're really going in as a cohesive group tomorrow." Paterson said. "We lost some experience, but these girls remained prepared and positive about what's about to come."

Despite being going winless last time around Paterson said it wasn't a disappointing finish, and the goal this year is the same: to close the gap and compete with Yukon and the N.W.T.

Defense key in boys debut

Stocked with a whole team of AWG rookies, returning head coach Ryan O'Connor is hoping two solid cornerstones on defense will help get Nunavut's bantam boys team into the win column on home ice.

Iqaluit's Max Joy and Rankin Inlet's Kennedy Napayok will be the backbone of Nunavut's defence core this week, as Nunavut looks to upset the favoured Team Northern Alberta in its tournament opener Monday morning.

"We want to be relentless on the ice. We want to take our game to the next level and push the pace of the other teams, and that starts in our own end," O'Connor said.

"We gotta take care of our own end and get the puck out. If we can do that, then we can create some scoring chances, but we've got to do it as a five-man unit. We can't be five individuals out there. We've come a long way to build that team chemistry."

Going into the opener against Northern Alberta, O'Connor says the game plan is to "weather the storm" in the early goings.

"For a lot of our kids, this is their first major games and it can be a bit overwhelming," O'Connor said, adding this team is much more prepared than the group two years ago. "If we play really hard in that first 20 minutes and take care of our own zone, we'll be able to come out successful."  

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