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Never mind that they weigh less than 90 pounds or that they are in a division called squirts; the 9- and 10-year-olds on the Steamboat hockey team are serious about their sport.

On Sunday, the Steamboat Squirts won the Rocky Mountain Rumble Tournament hosted by the Steamboat Springs Youth Hockey Association.

"Don't be mistaken," coach Dave Strang said. "The comment I heard was, 'They played like the big guys.'"

Strang would know. He doubles as coach for the "big guys," the Steamboat Springs high school hockey team. The squirts checked, regrouped and cycled the puck, playing age appropriate systems and playing them well.

"This is a unique group of kids," Strang said. "They are really hungry to learn to play hockey, and they are really hungry for a big-guy style of hockey. They have been digesting everything we've been able to throw at them so far."

Apparently, their appetites are pretty big. Strang said the reward for excellent execution is advancement in level of play.

"We take a few of the pieces out (of the high school system) to make it easier to understand," Strang said. "But we run the same forechecking system and same defensive-zone system. They are playing a high level of hockey. I told them your reward for doing something well is doing something more complicated."

Steamboat opened with a 4-4 tie against the Foothills Squirts, but trailed 4-0 at one point in the game. It was Steamboat's third game of the season, so Strang said he was pleased with the adjustments Steamboat made against a Foothills team playing its 12th game of the winter.

"They got better and stronger as the tournament went on," Strang said.

The next time Steamboat saw Foothills, the Steamboat Squirts won, 3-1 in the championship.

Steamboat also defeated Cheyenne and Arvada to finish 3-0-1 in the tournament.

Steamboat also had two pee wee teams play in the Rocky Mountain Rumble. The pee wee division drew eight teams this year, including a team from Alaska. Tournament coordinator Nancy Terry said the Alaskan team had a great time in Steamboat, saying the team wanted to travel to play different competition.

They brought smoked salmon and pucks as presents. Glen Martin, coach for the Steamboat Pee Wee 2 team, already has taste-tested his present. The team from Alaska defeated the Pee Wee 2 team, 3-1, to take seventh place. Steamboat's Pee Wee 1 team defeated Alaska, 5-2, and finished sixth in the tournament.

Martin said his team only has been together a couple of weeks, so the Rocky Mountain Rumble Tournament was a learning experience for everyone.

"We were looking to really learn the check game," he said. "By the time the tournament was over, the kids were starting to get a feel for it. We realized we aren't that far behind the Front Range teams."

The Foothills Flyers defeated Steamboat Pee Wee 2, 3-0, on Friday. The Pee Wee 2 team lost to Northern Colorado Youth Hockey Grizzles, 4-0, and to Arvada, 6-0, on Saturday. Steamboat's Pee Wee 1 team lost to Cheyenne, 5-0, on Friday. It defeated Alaska, 5-2, on Saturday and lost to Littleton, 7-0, and Arvada, 7-3.