Jeff Helminiak

Bears control playoff destiny

The Kenai River Brown Bears head into the final weekend of the North American Hockey League regular season in control of their playoff destiny.That control… Continue reading

Bears topple Ice Dogs, move into sole possession of 4th place

The Kenai River Brown Bears moved into sole possession of the fourth playoff spot in the North American Hockey League Midwest Division with a 4-2… Continue reading

Ice Dogs top Bears in shootout

The Kenai River Brown Bears moved into a tie for the final playoff spot Friday with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs… Continue reading

Series preview: Bears face Ice Dogs as playoff chase heats up

Series preview: Bears face Ice Dogs as playoff chase heats up

When the North American Hockey League started way back in September, one thing was apparent. If the Kenai River Brown Bears were going to make… Continue reading

Series preview: Bears face Ice Dogs as playoff chase heats up

KPHA PeeWee B team wins state title

The Kenai Peninsula Hockey Association PeeWee B team won the Alaska State Hockey Association championship Monday at the Curtis C. Menard Sports Complex in Wasilla.The… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion  Cook Inlet Academy's Kendall Toplin drives the ball down the court during a Jan. 24, 2014 game in Soldotna, Alaska.

CIA girls look to defend state title

The Cook Inlet Academy girls basketball team has little reason to be overconfident heading into the Class 1A state tournament. But the Eagles also have… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion  Cook Inlet Academy's Kendall Toplin drives the ball down the court during a Jan. 24, 2014 game in Soldotna, Alaska.

Basketball culture propels Seldovia to state

Seldovia is not one of those schools that is going to make the Class 1A state tournament for 10 straight years.The population of boys and… Continue reading

Focus on fundamentals pays off for Nikolaevsk girls, boys

Like anything with a solid foundation, the girls and boys basketball programs are built to stick around for a while.The boys and girls are coached… Continue reading

Bears visit Wildcats for crucial games in playoff chase

As is often the case in the playoff chase in the tough North American Hockey League Midwest Division, the Kenai River Brown Bears fell further… Continue reading

SoHi girls earn WPI berth to state

For the second year in a row, the Soldotna girls basketball team was announced Sunday as a Winning Percentage Index qualifier to the Class 4A… Continue reading

Kenai, SoHi set for NLC tourney

Not surprisingly, the Soldotna girls basketball team would prefer not to use the Winning Percentage Index to get into the Class 4A state tournament.As the… Continue reading

Peninsula Conference hoops tourney preview: Tons of basketball on the horizon

For those area hoops fans despairing that both the Northern Lights Conference and Southcentral Conference tournaments are happening off the Peninsula this year, don’t despair.There… Continue reading

Nikiski girls, Skyview boys gather momentum in final game of regular season

Both the Nikiski girls and Skyview boys basketball teams will go into the Southcentral Conference tournament, starting Thursday in Cordova, on a roll. The Nikiski… Continue reading

Brown Bears continue to perservere in playoff chase

If the old maxim that everything evens out in life is true, the Kenai River Brown Bears must have had some awfully easy roads to… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak Skyview's Brenner Musgrave leads Kenai Central's Travis Cooper up a hill near the start of the boys five-kilomter skate Friday at the Region III Nordic Ski Championships at Tsalteshi Trails on Friday.

For the first time in a long time, area skiers will actually get to ski on snow

Told that Soldotna ski coach Dan Harbison said that skiers would be ready for any conditions at the state meet due to this winter’s checkered… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak Skyview's Brenner Musgrave leads Kenai Central's Travis Cooper up a hill near the start of the boys five-kilomter skate Friday at the Region III Nordic Ski Championships at Tsalteshi Trails on Friday.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak Under the watchful eye of a moose, Kenai's Beverly Schindler whizzes around a turn Friday during the girls five-kilometer freestyle at the Region III Nordic Ski Championships at Tsalteshi Trails.

Area skiers compete at Region III ski meet

Sadie Fox and the Soldotna girls team managed to stay on track even without classic tracks Friday and Saturday at the Region III Nordic Ski… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak Under the watchful eye of a moose, Kenai's Beverly Schindler whizzes around a turn Friday during the girls five-kilometer freestyle at the Region III Nordic Ski Championships at Tsalteshi Trails.

Soldotna boys take on Kodiak

It’s asking a lot to contain Kodiak sophomore point guard Alec Canete-Hall for four quarters.Friday in Northern Lights Conference play at Soldotna, asking to contain… Continue reading

Region skiers face the great unknown

Skiers will enter the great unknown today and Saturday at Tsalteshi Trails in the Region III Nordic Ski Championships.And they are just fine with that.Will… Continue reading

Friday: Bruins shut out Bears

Friday night’s game between the Kenai River Brown Bears and Austin (Minn.) Bruins featured the Bears’ Alec Butcher, the leading scorer in the league, and… Continue reading

North Star hockey teams ready to mix

The Soldotna hockey team is a poster child for the parity that is the North Star Conference this season.The No. 3 seed Stars (6-4 NSC)… Continue reading