The host Homer hockey team survived a scare Thursday for senior night, scoring with 11.7 seconds left to edge Kenai Central in North Star Conference action.
The Mariners had led 5-2 in the third period after Lee Lowe, assisted by Phin Weston, scored with 8 minutes, 59 seconds, left in the game. But Kenai quickly battled back as Levi Mese scored twice, assisted by Jakeb O’Brien both times, and Brenna Eubank scored, assisted by Matt Hagel, as the Kardinals had things all square with 1:32 to play. Mese would finish with four goals in the game, while O’Brien would have four assists.
With all seniors on the ice, though, Spencer Warren scored with 11 seconds left to give the Mariners the victory.
“You take away the first five minutes of the game, and we stuck right with them,” Kenai head coach Jake Newton told the Homer News after the loss. “We played hard up to their intensity.
“I was really happy with the way the boys played, the boys and girls. But we just didn’t finish. We were real close, we were right where we needed to be.”
Homer grabbed a 3-0 lead after the first period on goals by Ethan Pitzman, Ali McCarron and Isaiah Nevak. Kenai battled back to 3-1 after two on a goal by Mese. Dmitry Kuzmin scored early in the third to set up the dramatic end to the game.
Hunter Warren stopped 10 of 12 shots for Homer, while Connor Roderick stopped 1 of 4. Josh Tree had 38 saves for Kenai.
Kenai and Soldotna finish up the regular season by facing off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.
Thursday
Mariners 6, Kardinals 5
Kenai 0 1 4 — 5
Homer 3 0 3 — 6
First period — 1. Homer, Pitzman (un.), 9:04; 2. Homer, McCarron (Dean, Nevak), 13:33; 3. Homer, Nevak (Williamson), 13:54. Penalties — Kenai 1 for 2:00.
Second period — 4. Kenai, Mese (O’Brien), 8:07. Penalties — Kenai 1 for 2:00.
Third period — 5. Kenai, Mese (O’Brien, Knudson), 0:19; 6. Homer, Kuzmin (S. Warren), 5:01; 7. Homer, Lowe (Weston), 6:01; 8. Kenai, Mese (O’Brien), 10:48; 9. Kenai, Eubank (Hagel), 12:27; 10. Kenai, Mese (O’Brien), 13:28; 11. Homer, S. Warren (un.), 14:49. Penalties — none.
Shots on goal — Kenai 3-9-9—21; Homer 18-11-15—44.
Goalies — Kenai, Tree (44 shots, 38 saves); Homer, H. Warren (12 shots, 10 saves); Roderick (4 shots, 1 save).
