Juneau hockey celebrates senior night with sweeping victory over Homer

The Juneau Douglas: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears faced off against the Homer High School Mariners in a packed Treadwell Arena on the Bears’ senior night Friday. JDHS came out strong and didn’t slow down, beating the Mariners 8-2.

JDHS seniors Jack Barrett, Nolan Cruz, Emerson Newell, Elias Schane, Elliot Welch, Hunter Lingle, Isaac Phelps, Zachary Prather, John Melancon, Issy Martin and Paxton Mertl were honored with flowers and chunky medallion necklaces at the beginning of the evening. By the start of the game, there was standing room only, and Treadwell Arena was electric with a first-time set from the JDHS pep band and the massive crowd.

“They might not have the same skillset as previous groups of seniors, but collectively, they’re stronger than previous groups of seniors before them because they work so well together and support each other,” Crimson Bears head coach Matt Boline said. “They lead by example, and they’ve done a phenomenal job. To me, they epitomize what Crimson Bears hockey is all about.”

JDHS senior Nolan Cruz scored within the first two minutes of the first period. Junior Caden Morris scored again shortly later, putting the Bears at 2-0 within the first five minutes of the game. Senior Paxton Mertl scored midway through the game, and Mariners senior Nico Erickson put up Homer’s first point seconds later. With less than half a second left in the first period, JDHS senior Elliott Welch scored on a power play goal, bringing the score to 4-1.

“The first half of the first period was rough, but the kids woke up after that and started to play their game,” said Mariners head coach Spencer Warren. “Juneau is a solid team and once we settled into the pace of it, it became a great game to watch.”

The Crimson Bears continued to play physically in the second period, with Morris, Mertl and Cruz each putting up another point. Mariners junior Berend Pearson scored what would end up being Homer’s final point of the evening.

The final period saw Mertl’s third goal of the game and the last point of the evening. The scoreboard read 8-2 as the Crimson Bears and Mariners parted ways.

“I’m definitely very proud of the team’s performance,” Boline said of Friday night’s game. “Senior night and senior weekends are much better when all seniors are able to participate, and we had 100% participation this weekend, which hasn’t always been the case. I’m very happy that everyone got involved this weekend, and just about everybody got on the scoresheet too.”

The Crimson Bears will travel to Palmer for the DII Hockey State Championships Feb. 4-7. To follow along with the season, visit the team’s Facebook page or visit jdhshockey.com.