There are not many places where you could catch 99 hockey games in just four days, but the Yukon Native Hockey Tournament is one of them.

That鈥檚 how many games are scheduled to take place between 56 teams across seven divisions this month. The tournament, now in its 44th year, kicks off on March 21 and runs until March 24.

鈥淓very year, it just kind of sneaks up,鈥� said Michelle Dawson-Beattie on March 13. Dawson Beattie is the president of the Yukon First Nations Hockey Association. 鈥淲e start planning in December, and then you blink, and you鈥檙e like, `Oh my god, we鈥檙e a week out.鈥濃��

She said the planning is progressing smoothly, though, with 31 Yukon teams, 14 from British Columbia and another 11 from the NWT and Nunavut. That鈥檚 just one team shy of the tournament鈥檚 maximum capacity.

Over the course of the weekend, teams will play at the Canada Games Centre and Takhini Arena. Divisions include A (competitive), B (recreational), C (community), Old Timers, Women鈥檚, the Jamboree A and B divisions and the youth division.

Dawson-Beattie said there are prizes all weekend. Winning teams in each division get a cash prize. Individual players in each division are also up for MVP, top scorer, top goalie and more. In the jamboree and youth divisions, there are team spirit awards and the Sandi Gleason Award. Both of these are given out at every game, said Dawson-Beattie, to encourage sportsmanship among younger players.

That鈥檚 one of the things she loves about the tournament, and why she鈥檚 been involved in putting it together for the last six years, she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about a hockey tournament,鈥� said Dawson-Beattie. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about celebrating First Nations community 鈥� this tournament might be the biggest platform some of these athletes will ever play on and when they play in front of their grandparents and their friends and their families? If I can enable a good path for them, to make positive choices, that鈥檚 what it does for me.鈥�

Morris Morrison agrees. He鈥檚 been playing in the tournament for as long as he can remember. He started in the youth division in the early 2000s and worked his way up through the C, B, and A divisions, to where he鈥檚 now the captain of the A-division team, the Selkirk Bears, a team he鈥檚 been part of for more than 10 years.

Morrison told the News he appreciates that the tournament attracts teams from across the North鈥攆rom communities of people he might not otherwise meet and connect with.

鈥淭he event provides an opportunity for friends and families to get together, and it fosters a sense of community and celebration through friendly competition,鈥� he said.

Like Dawson-Beattie, Morrison also appreciates hockey for what it鈥檚 taught him beyond just hockey skills.

鈥淕rowing up in Pelly Crossing, there wasn鈥檛 really any kind of organized sports, so being a younger person and loving the sport so much, I had to play with a lot of older adults in Pelly,鈥� he said. 鈥淪port not only develops independence, it develops leadership and teamwork, which is huge for life experience. To this day I鈥檓 still a huge advocate for sport and recreation for those reasons.鈥�

He said it鈥檚 also a point of pride to play for the Selkirk Bears. The team has a strong fan base in Pelly, he said.

鈥淭he positive impact of our team spans generations,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rom the youngest children to the elderly.鈥�

In addition to more hockey than you can slash a stick at, Dawson-Beattie said Pelly Construction has sponsored a celebrity guest for the first time this year.

Andrew Ference, who was captain of the Edmonton Oilers for two years, from 2013 to 2015, and retired from the NHL in 2016, will visit during the tournament.

Ference will be at the Canada Games Centre on the morning of March 22 for a meet and greet with anyone who鈥檇 like to meet him. That night, he鈥檚 part of a reception for sponsors and dignitaries and will watch an A division game, in which the Selkirk Bears will play the loser from an earlier game between LJ鈥檚 Sabres and the Blueberry FN Weekend Warriors.

Morrison said he鈥檚 advised his team to come together and have fun.

鈥淟ike, I tell the guys every year, the game could go any way, depending on the momentum,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ork hard and stay focused 鈥� anything can happen during the 60 minutes you鈥檙e playing.鈥�

The full schedule can be found online at www.yfnha.ca. Weekend passes (only sold on Thursday) are $40 for adults, $25 for youth and elders, and free for those four and under. Day passes are $20 for adults and $15 for youth and seniors.

鈥擝y Amy Kenny, Local Journalism Initiative reporter, Yukon News