The Homer Mariners opened the 2021 hockey season with a home-ice 5-4 victory over the Kenai Kardinals at the Kevin Bell Arena on Friday night, the first contest of the modified, high school hockey season on the Kenai Peninsula.
The reigning Division II state hockey champion Mariners opened the scoring just :48 seconds into the first period with a Casey Otis goal. Kenai answered with the first of three goals by Landen Cialek at 6:47 of the first period to tie the game at 1-1. A Hunter Green goal at 13:12 gave Homer a 2-1 lead after one period.
Kenai’s Blake Bucho scored the only goal of the second period at 6;46 to tie the game at 2-2.
The third period opened with a Kazden Stineff goal for Homer at :58 to give the Mariners a 3-2 advantage. Kenai answered with a Landen Cialek goal at 2:33. Homer’s Casey Otis gave the Mariners back the lead at 7:30 and Stineff added a second goal at 10:11 for a 5-3 Homer lead. Kenai’s Cialek answered with his third goal to draw Kenai to within a goal at 5-4.
Homer goaltender Keegan Strong recorded (unofficial) 30 saves and Kenai’s Jackson Cross recorded 24 saves.
The Homer Mariners host the Soldotna Stars on Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Kevin Bell Arena.
Broadcast on ESPN 1140AM and streamed live at radiokenai.com.
