The Oak Creek Kodiaks 12U hockey team dominated the Frozen Basin Tournament in Vernal, Utah over the weekend to earn a tournament championship banner. 

Matched against teams from Utah and Colorado, the Kodiaks reached the championship game Sunday where they defeated the Salt Lake City Lightning, 9-3, to secure victory. 

The team is coached by Chris Hagen, Kyle Pastor and Graham Waters. 

“This was a complete team effort by all players against a team that has played us strong in the past,” said coach Pastor, in a news release. “It was a culmination of all the things we have been working towards in the past few years with this hockey club.”

“We couldn’t be prouder,” said coach Hagen, in the release. “This team has demonstrated tremendous grit and love for the game of hockey. We ask them to be passionate about themselves, their community, and hockey, and that passion showed through this weekend, which has led them to this moment.”

Many of the players on the Kodiaks’ 12U team have only begun skating in the past few years, doing so at the Oak Creek skating rink — an open-air facility in South Routt County which relies on cold temperatures to keep the ice frozen for youth to skate. 

With only two weeks of practice on their home ice this season, winning the Frozen Basin Tournament is a huge success. The team has hung the championship banner at the Kodiak Den in Oak Creek to honor the achievement. 

The Oak Creek Hockey Association houses four youth hockey teams at 6U, 8U, 10U and the newest addition of 12U with 58 players across the association. Hagen says the league is happy to host players of all skill levels and emphasizes character development in its players. 

“Our goal is to foster a love of hockey and build a community where we all go up or we don’t go up at all,” he said.