The Homer Mariner hockey program earned its first state championship in high school hockey (a first for a Kenai Peninsula team) with a 4-1 victory over Railbelt Conference Soldotna High School in the ASAA Division II State Hockey Championship Saturday in Fairbanks.
The Kenai Kardinals shut-out Glennallen/Tok 4-0 in the tournament’s 4th-Place game.
Homer 4 – SoHi 1
The Homer Mariner power-play unit produced two goals in four power-play efforts providing the Mariners the game-winning goal and an insurance goal.
Homer opened the scoring with a first period goal at 8:55 off the stick of Karl Wickstrom and held a 1-0 lead into the second period.
Trent Powell tied the game for the Stars with a power-play goal at 3:44 of the second. Homer answered on a power-play goal by Ethan Pitzman at 11:58 of the second period; the first of two goals by Pitzman would prove to be the game-winner.
Leading 2-1 in the third period, Homer added an insurance goal on a power-play attack capped by Westen at 11:35 of the third. An empty-netter of the stick of Pitzman closed the scoring and crowned the Mariners as 2020 Division II hockey state champions.
Keegan Strong recorded 41 saves for the Mariners; Josh Tree recorded 36 saves in goal for SoHi.
The Soldotna Stars were awarded the Academic Award for highest team GPA.
Kenai 4 – Glennallen/Tok/Barrow (Alaska Heat) 0
Jackson Cross produced a shut-out in goal for the Kenai Kardinals in Kenai’s 4-0 victory over Glennallen/Tok in the ASAA Division II State Hockey Championships at the Patty Ice Arena in Fairbanks on Saturday.
Jacob Begich staked Kenai to a 1-0 lead in the first period following a 5-3 penalty kill. The second period opened with a Travis Knudsen goal just :36 seconds into the period and Kenai’s Daniel Sheldon scored 1:51 into the second period. The Kardinals added a Jordyn Stock goal at 10:12 of the third for the 4-0 victory and fourth-place in the tournament.
More game details will be provided when score sheets are available.
