Soldotna 2, Kenai 1
The Stars and freshman Noah Crabtree put three regular season losses to the Kenai Kardinals in the rear view mirror on Friday night, securing a dramatic overtime win over their Spur Highway rivals.
The two squads tested one another throughout a scoreless first period, working to create mismatches on offense and defense. Dueling junior goaltenders Brycen Clyde (Soldotna) and Evyn Witt (Kenai) made several impressive saves, setting the stage for a tight game.
In the second period, the Kardinals broke through first when senior forward Avery Martin flipped a shot over Clyde’s shoulder. The score remained 1-0 into the second intermission.
Enter Noah Crabtree.
The freshman phenom has been a boon to the Stars all season, and in the first minute of the third period, leveled the score, beating Witt for the first time in the state tournament. The back and forth ebbed and flowed for the final 14 minutes of the final frame, but neither team could break the 1-all tie.
Then in overtime, both teams leaned heavily on their first lines, with the likes of Daniel Heath, Marshall DeRaeve, and Crabtree for the Stars, and Logan Mese, Avery Martin, and Will Howard for the Kardinals, playing almost the entire extra 8 minute period.
With a one-man, power play advantage and under a minute to play, Crabtree shone brightest, sneaking a nearly perfect shot into the corner of the net from the goal line, sending Soldotna to its third straight Division 2 Championship game.
The Stars will face the Palmer Moose for the title. Palmer, who last won state in 2018-19, has cruised past nearly every team they’ve faced this season, with the lone outlier being the Soldotna Stars. SoHi took two of three games against the Moose this season. Compounding this edge for the Stars is the fact that Palmer’s previous two state tournament runs ended at the hands of Soldotna, who took the Moose down in the semifinals in 2023 and 2024, setting the stage for a grudge match on Saturday night.
Tune into the championship game on ESPN 1140AM, 96.9FM, or stream it at radiokenai.com. Pregame coverage begins at 4:45 p.m.
Other Results:
Houston 9, Tri Valley 1
Delta Junction 2, North Pole 1
Palmer 5, Juneau Douglas 2
Saturday Games:
12:00 – Houston vs. Delta Junction (4th/6th Place)
2:30 – Kenai vs. Juneau Douglas (3rd/5th Place)
5:00 – Soldotna vs. Palmer (Championship)
