Jeff Helminiak

Series preview: Brown Bears vs. Jets

The Kenai River Brown Bears continue a tough early season home slate when the North American Hockey League Midwest Division-leading Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets come to… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Homer's Tim Blakely and Soldotna's Braxton Urban try to corral the puck Friday in the Peninsula Ice Challenge at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Stars, Hawks pick up Friday wins at Ice Challenge

Soldotna coach Derek Urban said that, in a team huddle with the score tied 3-3 with Homer with just 14.3 seconds left in Friday’s Peninsula… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Homer's Tim Blakely and Soldotna's Braxton Urban try to corral the puck Friday in the Peninsula Ice Challenge at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Southcentral Conference volleyball tournament preview: Grace, Nikiski, Seward are top 3 heading into play

The regular season in the Southcentral Conference did a clear job of establishing the top three teams in the league this year. Now it is… Continue reading

SoHi, Kenai gear up for zany NLC volleyball tourney

If recent performance is any indication of future results, a zany Northern Lights Conference tournament could be on tap with three state berths up for… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Kenai Central middle blocker Cierra King (7) and Caleigh Jensen form a block from Soldotna Tuesday night at Kenai Central High School.

Kenai volleyball topples SoHi

This is a night they can’t take away from the Kenai Central volleyball team. Home floor with rabid student section. Match against Northern Lights Conference… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Kenai Central middle blocker Cierra King (7) and Caleigh Jensen form a block from Soldotna Tuesday night at Kenai Central High School.

Soldotna sweeps medium schools all-state Player of Year awards

The Soldotna football team is strongly represented on the Alaska Football Coaches Association Medium Schools All-State Team, released Sunday but individual awards are not an… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Ninilchik forward Austin White (33) shoots amid a scrum of King Cove defenders in March 2015 at the Class 1A March Madness state tournament at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Anchorage.

Ninilchik’s White commits to UAA

Ninilchik boys basketball coach Nick Finley still recalls the first day of practice he had with Austin White, then in eighth grade.“I remember the first… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Ninilchik forward Austin White (33) shoots amid a scrum of King Cove defenders in March 2015 at the Class 1A March Madness state tournament at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Anchorage.
Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Soldotna outside hitter Ella Stenga bats the ball towards the Seward side Tuesday night at the Soldotna Prep gym.

Soldotna volleyball sweeps Seward

It was fitting that Tuesday’s volleyball match between Soldotna and Seward was at Soldotna Prep, because both teams wanted to use the nonconference affair to… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Soldotna outside hitter Ella Stenga bats the ball towards the Seward side Tuesday night at the Soldotna Prep gym.

Kenai tops Nikiski in Killing Cancer on the Kenai match

The Kenai Central volleyball program punctuated a successful Killing Cancer on the Kenai Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser on Monday night by defeating visiting Nikiski 25-17,… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Samantha Kompkoff and Emily Koziczkowski combine for a stuff block against Wasilla in front of a charged-up student body Friday night at Kenai Central.

Weekend volleyball roundup: Kenai earns weekend split

The upset-minded Kenai Central volleyball team had won the first set 25-15 and the Kardinals student body was at full throat. Wasilla coach Josie Cannon… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Samantha Kompkoff and Emily Koziczkowski combine for a stuff block against Wasilla in front of a charged-up student body Friday night at Kenai Central.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion A Kenai Central athlete practices roller-skiing Sunday morning near the Hope Highway junction just off the Seward Highway.

A little technique goes a long way: Liebner returns to give athletes skiing’s secrets

Andy Liebner, a 2001 graduate of Soldotna High School, has spent a sizable portion of his life scouring this continent and Europe to try and… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion A Kenai Central athlete practices roller-skiing Sunday morning near the Hope Highway junction just off the Seward Highway.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River forward Evan Butcher skates the puck up the ice against Johnstown (Pennsylvania) defenseman Adam Pilewicz on Friday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Tomahawks pull off weekend sweep of Brown Bears

In the 2012-13 season, Nick Shackford was an assistant for the Kenai River Brown Bears and fans got a taste for Shackford’s nose for talent… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River forward Evan Butcher skates the puck up the ice against Johnstown (Pennsylvania) defenseman Adam Pilewicz on Friday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.
Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River defenseman Jordan Holmes (12) deflects the puck away from Johnstown forward Tiernan Seningen Wednesday night at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Brown Bears drop midweek contest to Tomahawks

From the 2005-06 to the 2011-12 seasons, the Johnstown (Pennsylvania) Tomahawks organization was located in the Matanuska-Susitna valleys.The Tomahawks are making themselves feel right at… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River defenseman Jordan Holmes (12) deflects the puck away from Johnstown forward Tiernan Seningen Wednesday night at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Series preview: Brown Bears vs. Tomahawks

Kenai River Brown Bears fans have seen both sides of going young.In the 2012-13 season, head coach Oliver David put his trust in developing young… Continue reading

Oilers hire ABL, SDSU legend Dietz as new head coach

Imagine you were applying to be a chef at a restaurant and found out they chose Emeril Lagasse. Or were applying to be a programmer… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion New Jersey Titans goaltender Brandon Bussi protects the net from Kenai River forward Chad Lopez on Friday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Titans sweep Brown Bears on home-opening weekend

The Kenai River Brown Bears were swept by the New Jersey Titans in the Brown Bears’ North American Hockey League home-opening series Friday and Saturday… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion New Jersey Titans goaltender Brandon Bussi protects the net from Kenai River forward Chad Lopez on Friday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai quarterback Chase Gillies scrambles under pressure from Soldotna's Jeremiah Lefao on Saturday at Justin Maile Field in Soldotna.

Soldotna football defeats Kenai

After his first game as a head coach against Soldotna — a 54-27 loss Saturday at Justin Maile Field in Soldotna — Kenai Central head… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai quarterback Chase Gillies scrambles under pressure from Soldotna's Jeremiah Lefao on Saturday at Justin Maile Field in Soldotna.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai Central junior Braden Olsen finishes seventh Saturday at the Region III meet at Tsalteshi Trails to qualify for Saturday's state meet.

Kenai Peninsula runners chase titles at state

Kenai Peninsula runners will be a major part of the title chase in three of the four races Saturday at the state cross-country meet at… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai Central junior Braden Olsen finishes seventh Saturday at the Region III meet at Tsalteshi Trails to qualify for Saturday's state meet.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River Brown Bears goalie Connor Poczos makes a save in front of defenseman Sam Sterne during a drill in practice Wednesday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex ahead of the team's home opener tonight.

Brown Bears to face off against Titans in home opener

Instead of arriving on the central Kenai Peninsula in late summer, as is the norm, the Kenai River Brown Bears did not touch down in… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River Brown Bears goalie Connor Poczos makes a save in front of defenseman Sam Sterne during a drill in practice Wednesday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex ahead of the team's home opener tonight.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Palmer's Ruby Woodings, Colony's Jill Bowker and Kenai Central's Riana Boonstra and Jaycie Calvert make up the lead pack a little over a kilometer from the finish in the Class 4A girls race at the Region III meet at Tsalteshi Trails. Woodings won the race, and Boonstra and Calvert led the Kardinals to the team title.

Kenai girls, Kodiak boys, Homer girls and boys defend Region III crowns

The Region III meet at autumn-splashed Tsalteshi Trails saw team repeat champions in the Kodiak boys, Kenai Central girls, and Homer girls and boys.The meet… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Palmer's Ruby Woodings, Colony's Jill Bowker and Kenai Central's Riana Boonstra and Jaycie Calvert make up the lead pack a little over a kilometer from the finish in the Class 4A girls race at the Region III meet at Tsalteshi Trails. Woodings won the race, and Boonstra and Calvert led the Kardinals to the team title.