What was supposed to be a tight rivalry game Tuesday afternoon turned into a lopsided win for the Kenai Central girls soccer team over Soldotna… Continue reading
The North American Hockey League Board of Governors voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to reactivate the Kenai River Brown Bears for the 2017-18 season. The Brown Bears, due to financial difficulties, had gone inactive for the upcoming season Feb. 26. But a group of ardent fans, led by Steve Stuber, stepped forward to raise $300,000 between March 22 and Saturday. Once the group met its fundraising goal, the team announced Monday that it would request reactivation. “It’s a testament to the hard work that Steve and others have put in and the desire of our community to keep the organization,” said Nate Kiel, who has been involved with the team for all 10 of its seasons and general manager for the last nine. “It’s a testament to the value of the organization to the community and all that it does. “It really confirms what I’ve known all these years. It’s nice to see the community step up like this and the Board of Governors reacted to that.” Stuber said that he merely served as the messenger and the community responded to that message. While giving special thanks to Alaska Airlines, Fred Braun, the Scotty Gomez Foundation and the Fairbanks Ice Dogs for stepping forward with important donations, he said he in no way wanted to undervalue how much every donation counted. “This really is about community,” Stuber said. “This is about the lady that wrote that check for two season tickets even though she makes such little money.” After his long-term involvement with the club, Kiel said he appreciates how hard it is to raise $300,000 in 25 days. “I would have been skeptical for sure that they could achieve those goals in such a short period of time,” said Kiel, who in 2013 retired after 26 years of teaching in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. “That being said, and living here on the peninsula my whole life, I’m not surprised what the community can do when it puts its mind to it.” Gwen Johnson echoed those comments about the community. Johnson has been the billet coordinator for all 10 seasons, though she will step down next season. She said that the Brown Bears program stands out in the league for the players having an amazing experience both in their billet homes and volunteering in the community. The dizzying fundraising effort to save the Bears was just more of the same. “It shows why the peninsula is a very special place,” Johnson said. “The generosity of this community continuously blows me away, not just in hockey but in many good causes. “Good gravy. That just doesn’t happen in a lot of communities.” Lisa Zulkanycz, who has been billeting players since the Bears’ second season and had a son, Zack, play for the Bears for three years, said she was more than thrilled when she learned the team would officially be back. Zulkanycz said she got the feeling shortly after the Bears announced deactivation that the team wasn’t done yet. “At first, my heart really hurt,” Zulkanycz said. “Then, after less than a week, I really started thinking we can do this. People in this community didn’t know what next winter would be like if we didn’t have a hockey team.” For Zulkanycz, a lot of the value of the Bears boiled down to one image. “The little guys that stand there with their hands out as the players come out of the tunnel,” she said. “So many moms said, ‘Will they be here next year?’ “That’s their goal. Someday those kids want to be a Brown Bear. That keeps us alive. Zack wanted to be a Brown Bear one day.” Amidst all the celebration, there also was recognition that difficulties still remain. “Now the work begins, that’s for sure,” Kiel said. Kiel was quick to defend what the team has done in the past 10 seasons, which makes the organization the third-oldest team in the NAHL. The team has survived the end of the West Division and the dramatic increase in travel costs that meant, sent over 50 players to the collegiate ranks and spent a ton of time volunteering in the community. Yet the club has had its struggles on the ice, failing to reach 20 wins in six of its 10 seasons and never winning a playoff series. The Bears had the second-worst record in the league this season, and had the worst record in the league the two seasons before that. Kiel said part of the rebirth of the team is setting goals to be more competitive on the ice, such as reaching the playoffs and winning the season-series battle for the Ravn Cup with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. Kenai River has not been in the playoffs since the 2013-14 season and has never won the Ravn Cup. The general manager announced that the Brown Bears have fired head coach Jeff Worlton, who was 14-66-6 in a season and a half with the club. In January 2016, Worlton took over a club that had won seven times in its last 69 games. … Continue reading
The host Kenai Central girls soccer team received second-half goals from Samantha Morse and Lara Creighton in defeating Homer 2-0 on Monday. The Kardinals improved… Continue reading
The general manager for the Kenai River Brown Bears announced Monday that the team will request reactivation at a meeting of the North American Hockey… Continue reading
Ninilchik’s four seniors were back together again Saturday at the Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches Senior All-Star Games at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex in… Continue reading
Soldotna’s fusion of youth and experience blended together Friday afternoon at a sun-splashed Justin Maile Field to produce a 4-2 girls victory over the Palmer… Continue reading
Kenai Central senior Chase Gillies signed his letter of intent to play football at the University of Dubuque (Iowa) in the fall. Gillies put pen… Continue reading
The Kenai Central boys soccer team has received its fair share of challenges this spring. The Kardinals opened their season with a 3-0 loss to… Continue reading
Kenai Central graduate Allie Ostrander finished 10th in the invitational elite women’s 1,500-meter run Friday at the Mt. SAC Relays in Torrance, California. Ostrander, a… Continue reading
The Seward girls finished third and the boys grabbed fourth Friday at Wasilla Warriors Track Mania at Wasilla High School. The Colony girls scored 151.5… Continue reading
Let’s travel back in time. It’s 1973, which marks the first year that Birch Ridge Golf Course was open for business under the leadership of… Continue reading
As the spring track and field season shifts to the center of attention, there is a noticeable absence on the calendar, and it is leaving… Continue reading
The host Kenai Central soccer teams both had clean slates against Nikiski on Wednesday, with the girls winning 3-0 and the boys notching a 9-0… Continue reading
The effort to save the Kenai River Brown Bears has entered into its final week. Steve Stuber, who is heading up the fundraising drive to… Continue reading
The Soldotna girls and Homer boys soccer teams claimed victories Tuesday at Soldotna High School, with both games ending at 2-1. The matches did not… Continue reading
It would appear to be a good year for the Kenai Central boys soccer team. Last season, the Kardinals became the first Kenai Peninsula team… Continue reading
The Kenai Central boys opened their 2017 soccer campaign with a 3-0 title rematch loss to South Anchorage on Friday afternoon at the Colony High… Continue reading
The battle between the north and the south is reaching a fever pitch in the Northern Lights Conference girls soccer scene. After running the show… Continue reading
Kenai’s Travis Cooper received big news Thursday from the U.S. national biathlon team. Cooper was one of seven athletes — three from Alaska — that… Continue reading
