The Jasper Rustlers and Grizzles thoroughly enjoyed their inaugural tournament, and the fact that both teams won games this weekend is like icing on the cake.

“The tournament was a complete success,” said the Rustlers’ Jayne Yearwood.

“We had such a good time — the visiting teams had nothing but compliments.”

The tournament kicked off in high style for both Jasper-based teams as the Grizzlies beat Edson 911 5-1 on Friday night and the Rustlers emerged victorious after a shootout with the Clearwater team on Saturday morning.

The Grizzlies had a tough go the rest of the way, dropping two games against opponents from Whitecourt. The Hotshots shut out the local stalwarts 8-0 and the Wannabes were, by a 7-2 count.

The Rustlers, meanwhile, beat Edmonton’s On Thin Ice 7-2 before succumbing in their final game of the weekend, 6-4 against Hinton. Many on the team were simply exhausted by the time of their final game, Yearwood reported.

“Some of our players were tired because they had played for both teams,” she said.

“Leanne Leonardi played all six games ... because the Grizzlies were short some players.” 

Although fun was the name of the game this time out, the two Whitecourt clubs placed first and second overall, with the Rustlers coming in third.

Having spent several months preparing for game action, Jasper’s female hockey program is about to get all the game action it can handle. 

The teams play back-to-back games at home against Mayerthorpe on the weekend of January 28, and then head to Edson for a tournament on February 11. They are also hoping to face Clearwater and Valemount some time soon, Yearwood said.

As for future versions of their home tournament, Yearwood and the rest of the team are looking forward to hosting a larger event next year.

“Hockey Alberta was there and they know of two teams from Edmonton that want a spot for next year,” she said.