The Estevan Bruins alumni won their fifth Challenge Cup in six years on Thursday in Weyburn.
The Bruins won 6-4 in the annual New Year's Day classic against members of the Weyburn Red Wings alumni.
It's the second straight year the Bruins have won the event.
"It's good to come out every year and see lots of old faces from years past," said Lorne Tytlandsvik, who scored twice and is an annual participant in the game.
"It's good to see some guys we played against, even in senior hockey or in junior hockey. It's just a lot of fun to be able to go out, have a good time and have a couple of drinks after and enjoy the good company."
Tytlandsvik's back-to-back goals in the second period of the two 30-minute period contest put the game out of reach.
"It was a pretty fast-paced game. I think for a bunch of old guys coming back to play hockey, it was maybe two steps behind out there, but it was fun, definitely," he said.
Tytlandsvik's old teammate, Dominic Cote, scored twice in the first period. Chris Hammett and Darnell Glass also scored, putting the Bruins ahead 4-1, only for the Red Wings to strike back with two quick goals late in the frame, making it 4-3 at the break.
Cote, also a perennial alumni game performer, said everyone enjoyed the day.
"It's a lot of fun playing with some old teammates and playing against some guys we played against in Weyburn. Even though there's no hitting or anything out there, I think everybody had a lot of fun and the pace of the game was really fast.
"With the Bruin alumni, we've got a good group of guys and it's fun to get everybody together and have some laughs. It's been a good day."
Tytlandsvik's goals in the second period put the Bruins ahead 6-3. Boyd Dennis later scored for the Wings on a give-and-go to close out the scoring.
Tytlandsvik plays senior hockey with the Bienfait Coalers and he said aside from the obvious difference that there is no hitting, the alumni game was still competitive.
"It's a little bit more laid-back I guess, but pace-wise, there were guys on Weyburn that definitely looked like they played college hockey, so they've got a few steps on a few guys. There was definitely a lot of good puck movement."
Although the rivalry isn't as heated as it used to be for the alumni, it still exists.
"It's always good beating Weyburn. It doesn't matter what you're doing, it's a lot of fun beating them," Cote smiled.
