Sure, there were some lopsided scores along the way - but come Sunday afternoon at the 2012 Sudbury Playground Hockey League Police Cup, there were also some classic battles to be found.

The Atom and Peewee divisions was where the drama was at, producing an amazing 6/6 record of semi-final and final games decided by just one goal. The odds of that are surely astronomical.

The Atom affair featured a most unlikely comeback as Long Lake scored twice in the final minute of play, escaping with a 2-1 win over McFarlane Lake.

Hayden Kivinen scored the game-winner with just 18 seconds to play after Benjamin Paquette drew Long Lake even, mere seconds after the final minute of play was announced.

Chad Sweeney opened the scoring, netting a second period goal for McFarlane Lake. Both fresh-water bodied playgrounds emerged to the championship affair after a nail-biter the night before.

Paquette scored in the final minute of play, lifting Long Lake past the Lo-Ellen Lightning 3-2 while McFarlane Lake squeaked past the Cedar Park Red Wings in the remaining semi-final, also by a 3-2 score.

The Peewee final proved no less tense as Patrick Huska found the back of the net with 3:04 to play, drilling the only goal of the game in support of netminder Brandon Costello as Lo-Ellen blanked Long Lake 1-0.

It was quite the memorable afternoon for Huska, who teamed up only hours later with schoolmates Tanner Horgan, Ethan Urban and Jacob Horgan to capture the Rainbow Elementary Curling Bonspiel for the second straight year.

In the Novice finale, Kepler Salt, an impressive young gymnast in his own right, enjoyed a four-goal performance, leading the Cedar Park Red Wings past Lo-Ellen 6-0.

Ryan Deresti and Tyler Scott rounded out the scoring for the Red Wings, with William Sivazlian recording the whitewash between the pipes.

Closing out the weekend of play, the Long Lake Bantams scored three times in the third period, breaking open a tight game and cruising to a 5-0 win over Riverdale.

Carter Jibb paced the winners with a pair of goals, with Eric St Denis, Justin Watkins and Brayden Hamilton-Greer adding solo markers while Brandon Larcher turned aside everything that came his way in picking up the shutout.

A total of 26 teams gathered for the festivities, including a group of children assembled with the blessings of the Children's Aid Society, enjoying the thrill of competition for a third straight year.

A large part of the thanks for their involvement goes out to the Greater Sudbury Police Services Board (GSPSB) as the organization took on a primary sponsorship role a few years back, lending both financial support as well as volunteer manpower over the course of the weekend.

"Personally, I've had a long association with the Sudbury Playground League myself," noted staff sergeant Rick Waugh. "My son played in the league for four to five years, I've coached at this level as well for Cedar Park."

"We understand the grass-roots that it is," Waugh added. "The principles are for sportsmanship, fair play, equal ice time. The SPHL stands for all of the things that we believe in for youth in hockey."

"It just seemed to be the perfect fit for the Police Board." The GSPSB receives aid from the Chief's Youth Initiative Fund, the Sudbury Police Association and Crime Stoppers, with Norm Bouffard at Skater's Edge assisting greatly with the outfitting of the Bulldogs team through the donation of gently-used equipment.

It is a commitment that Waugh believes strongly must continue on an annual basis. "It's been very rewarding. Giving those children the opportunity to play in a tournament like this is simply something they would not otherwise enjoy."

The SPHL covers the tournament entry fee for the team, with the Police Board and Skater's Edge overseeing the equipment aspect while the RHP Training Centre donated practice ice time for the group to prepare for the big event.

Following is a complete breakdown of all game scores along with goal scorers, as they have been provided, for the 2012 SPHL Police Cup: