Over 40 hockey tourney recap

The first-annual, over 40 hockey tournament, the Whitefish Over Forty Classic, drew teams from Canada and Washington. Two Whitefish teams also competed, the Wannagos and the Gray Grizzlies, placing fourth and sixth respectively. The Dunlog Ford Broncos from Leftbridge won the title.

According to participant Ray Brown, the tournament has been four years in the making and featured men who had been playing hockey together for over 25 years.

"We kind of grew old together," Brown noted, adding that after years of competitive hockey play on City Beach before the Ice Den was built, the pace of this tournament added extra fun, "Who can keep up with an 18-year-old."

After a rousing Saturday night at the Dire Wolf, the team bounced back to compete on Sunday, vowing to switch to a banquet format in future years.

The Caesar's Angels team won the tenacity award after one of their players came back on the ice after years of fighting a prolonged illness.

Highpoints include the Grizzlies goalie Lou Thompson near shut-out, the Wannagos scored with a mere 30 seconds remaining. Brown related one humorous incident, Gray Grizzlies goalie Dan Cutforth's goalie pads got stuck to the ice.

-Christine Hensleigh