Grit is a character of champions.

It was grit that shone through for the Whitehorse atom development team during their tier 3 tournament last weekend in Squamish, B.C. where they placed second out of 16 teams.

After reaching the quarter finals on a unblemished three wins and no losses in the round robin, the development team of eight- and nine-year-olds dominated the Port Moody Panthers 13-0 in the quarter final.

But the semifinal against the Oceanside Generals of Nanaimo tested the Whitehorse mettle, though the squad of 18 refused to bend.

The development team were down 5-1 to the Generals heading into the third period early Monday morning. After scoring four unanswered goals – the fourth and tying goal with less than two minutes to go – Whitehorse forced an overtime shootout.

Whitehorse goalie Ben Power stood firm, stopping all three Nanaimo shooters while the development team’s Seth Sheardown-Waugh scored the only overtime marker to give Whitehorse a 6-5 victory and berth in the final against the Whistler Hawks.

“The one thing that stood out is these guys never quit,” head coach Derek Johnstone said in an interview after returning to Whitehorse this week. “These guys never stopped and they have a lot of grit, and that goes a long way when you’re a hockey player.”

Johnstone said his players showed the same tenacity in December down in Salmon Arm when they overcame a 4-0 deficit in one game to go on and win 7-4.

The coach said his focus with the young players is to encourage them to enjoy the game, have fun, but also to bring them a little further along in their skill development and their mental game.

It’s easy to throw in the towel when your tired, said Johnstone, a veteran goal scorer in his own right.

“I just try to give them that little bit extra, to push their minds, their skills and the mental part of the game.”

In the final against the Whistler Hawks, Ken Stalder put Whitehorse up 1-0 with 1:27 to go in the first period, on assists by Jacob Nickel and Taylor Bierlmeier, the club’s only girl.

The Hawks, however, replied with three in the second to take a two-goal lead into the final period.

“We came back in the third,” said the coach. “We did not give up.

“I think we pretty much played the third period in their end, or pretty close to that.”

Despite the push, Ethan Candow was the only Whitehorse player to hit the twine, scoring on the power play with 7:42 to play, unassisted.

“They never gave up,” said the coach. “For four days they just kept going.

“That 6-5 game, that game was something to see.”

The atoms are scheduled to travel to Edmonton in late March for their final tournament of the season.

Other members of the atom development team are: Chayce Tuton, Luke Cozens, Kaelen Halowaty, Nash Holmes, Tanner Gorrell, Jonny Timmons, Gavin McKenna, Conner Henderson, Jase Johnstone, Landon Cowper, Tyson Matthews, Fynn Ritchie; assistant coaches Guy Gorrell and Michael Tuton, managers Richelle Bierlmeier and Krystal McKenna, and volunteer Julie Candow.