For the past four hockey seasons, the Homer Mariners have battled for state championships in the ASAA Division II State Hockey Championships, winning back-to-back championships in 2020 and 2021 and finishing second in 2019 and third in 2022.
The Blue and Gold will not take to the ice in 2022-23.
For the 2022-23 hockey season, Homer will not field a team in the Railbelt Conference of Division II hockey due to the reported lack of players in the Homer hockey program. The Mariners state tournament roster for 2022 listed seven seniors, all instrumental to the Homer hockey teams recent success.
Homer High School Principal Douglas Waclawski sited low player turnout, a rash of injuries from other sports participation, and parent concern over young players as factors in the cancellation.
Hockey programs within the Railbelt Conference, including Kenai Central and Soldotna High, will rework their regular season schedules to adjust to the openings created by the Mariners cancellation. The End of the Road Hockey Tournament, scheduled for November 17-19 will also be impacted by the loss of the Homer program.
