After a big win over the Palmer Moose hockey on Thursday, Kenai’s brief hold on first place in the Northern Lights Conference evaporated over the weekend thanks to back-to-back, home ice losses to Juneau Douglas. The losses come at a bad time for Kenai, who has only one conference game remaining before the state tournament but sets up a dramatic showdown with the Soldotna Stars this weekend. The winner will receive an automatic bid to the DII state tournament; the loser will have to settle for the low seeding of an at-large bid.
Friday, January 19
The Crimson Bears opened the scoring almost immediately when Juneau Douglas Center Caden Johns caught Kenai goalie Evyn Witt unprepared for a quick strike 16 seconds into the opening frame. Both teams then held fast for nearly the remainder of the period until Avery Martin found the net to equalize at 13:52.
In the second period, the game looked like it might be a goal tenders’ duel, with both Witt Kenai and Mason Sooter for the Bears stopping one shot after another. A scoreless second was broken at 11:12, however, when Eliot Welch found a crack in Witt’s wall, giving Juneau Douglas a brief one-goal advantage. Kenai answered right back though, when Logan Mese struck at 13:19 to tie things up at two apiece. Unfortunately, that’s about the time the wheels came off for the Kardinals.
A hooking penalty against Kenai’s Sawyer Vann called in the midst of a delayed penalty on Witt (delay of game) put two Kardinals in the penalty box with less than 90 seconds to go in the second. The Crimson Bears did not waste the opportunity, and two quick goals later, the teams went into the second intermission with Kenai down 2-4. Witt was pulled after the two goals when he broke his stick over the crossbar and received a misconduct penalty.
Kenai couldn’t reign the tumble back in during the third period, and Seanna Swanson, who came in cold at the end of the second after Witt’s departure, surrendered four goals to Juneau Douglas. Mason Vermette did net one for Kenai in the frame. Final score: 7-3 Crimson Bears.
Saturday, January 20
Despite Friday’s loss, a Soldotna Stars win over Palmer the same night gave the Kardinals a chance to hold onto first place in the Northern Lights Conference. All they needed to do was bounce back from a rough night against Juneau Douglas and notch a win Saturday afternoon.
A nearly scoreless first period was broken up by a fantastic goal from the first line tandem of Avery Martin and Logan Mese. The pair beautifully executed a two-on-one scoring chance, with Martin finishing things off perfectly taking a Mese pass and putting the puck in the top shelf for a 1-0 Kenai lead at 9:51. Kenai looked to have left the previous night well behind them and took the one goal lead into the first intermission.
Juneau Douglas tied the game almost five minutes into the second when Defenseman John McElmarry scored at 4:57. Barely a minute later, the Crimson Bears struck again to take a 2-1 lead when Forward Dylan Sowa scored at 5:45. Like the previous night, Kenai answered back, only this time it was Avery Martin going coast to coast for an unassisted goal at 10:39 to tie the game for the Kardinals. Another goal from Sowa, however, late in the third spelled the end for Kenai, who would trail the remainder of the game.
In the third period a four goal uncorking by Juneau Douglas spoiled a nice moment for Kenai’s Noah Hallam, who scored his first goal as a varsity Kardinal. Final score: 7-3 Juneau Douglas.
Kenai faces off against SoHi in both teams’ final game of the regular season this Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:00 p.m. Tune into KKIS 96.5 at 6:45 for pregame coverage.