The Peewee Phantoms started off the Spirit of the Sticks tournament with a bang and 11-year-old Hunter Sweet was feeling the rush.
"It was amazing," he said, noting the team had only picked up a few victories all season. "It felt awesome."
He pointed to good teamwork in the house and the ability to shut down their opponent's offence as the recipe for success.
The team would eventually go on to claim silver in the hometown tournament, as other local teams also claimed medals over the weekend.
Bantam player Ryan Henry was also excited after the team beat the Fort Saskatchewan Rebels 8-2 in their first game.
"It was a pretty good way to start off the tournament," he said. "It was definitely interesting to see how they work together."
The Bantam gold medal game was a nail-biter, with Innisfail edging out the Lacoka Locos 8-7. The team survived 32 penalty minutes and came out on top, thanks in part to Bret Marshall getting a hat trick.
Innisfail forward Austin Thompson scored in the third to lend to the victory.
He recovered the ball after a Phantom shot at the net and fired an overhand missile past the netminder.
"I got the rebound and when the goalie wasn't looking I shot it in," he said. "It feels like you're making yourself part of the team."
Lacoka is not an easy team to beat, he said.
"They bring out the best in us," he said. "They're always gunning for our first-place spot."
Innisfail's Midget Phantoms had the opposite experience, getting silver after the Kneehill Bulldogs snuck one past their goalie in overtime.
The peewee final saw the Lacoka Locos beat the Innisfail Phantoms 8-1. Matthew Noyes got the lone goal for Innisfail at 8:31 in the first.
The Rockyview Rage beat the Calgary Sabrecats 6-0 to capture the midget bronze.
Red Deer beat Fort Saskatchewan 5-3 to win the bantam bronze.
The Sherwood Park Titians beat the Rockyview Rage 12 - 5 for the peewee bronze.
