Colony defeated Palmer 6-5 in overtime on Saturday at the Kenai Multi-Purpose Facility to win the first Kenai River Cup.
Both teams went into the game 2-0. Luke Holman scored in overtime to give the Knights the title.
Colony grabbed a 2-1 lead after the first period. Aiden Finch got started on a hat trick for the Knights, and Holman also scored. Elijah Von Gunten scored for the Moose.
Palmer had it tied by the end of the second period at 4. Kinan Greco scored twice in the period for the Moose, while Von Gunten added a goal.
For Colony in the second period, Finch scored twice to complete his hat trick.
In the third, the Knights went up 5-4 when Isaac McKenzie scored with 4:53 left. Less than a minute later, Tavian Mukaabya tied it for Palmer.
Keagon O’Bryan saved 43 for the Moose, while Jamon O’Bryan saved 39 for the Knights.
Kodiak 5, Kenai 2
The Bears scored a big victory for the young program.
Both teams went into the game 0-2 at the tournament, but Kodiak beat Kenai for the first time in the program’s three-year history.
“This is huge,” Kodiak head coach John Glover said. “I think we competed in the other games and I think we had a really good chance to win the other games.
“We knew Kenai was going to be really stiff, having lost to them substantially in the last two seasons. Made for a great game, though.”
With the fourth win in program history, Kodiak is 1-2 overall. Kenai falls to 2-5.
“Hats off to Kodiak. Great job,” Kenai Central head coach Scott Shelden said. “They played hard.
“They kept us in our zone with their forecheck and their goalie was awesome.”
Although the shots were even at 31 for the game, the Kardinals had a hard time establishing much presence in Kodiak’s defensive zone.
“We really talked about our D pinching in the O zone so that we could keep some momentum,” Glover said. “It was really just forechecking hard in the O zone to keep them out of our D zone.”
In the first period, Kodiak went up when Noah Schrof scored on assists from Dexter Smith and Ronan Hinman.
In the second period, freshman Cooper Smith scored unassisted for a 2-0 lead.
With 11:06 left in the game, Kenai cut it to 2-1 when Will Howard crossed into the zone and ripped in a shot from the high slot.
“He’s got a rocket for a shot,” Shelden said of Howard.
Kodiak answered just 14 seconds later when Rowan Wyszkowski scored on a Marek Wyszkowski assist.
Glover said when Kodiak gets a lead, the Bears have struggled to keep that lead.
“When they got it to one goal, just trying to calm the kids down and make sure we play our game was huge,” the coach said.
Howard struck again from the high slot with 4:13 to play, this time assisted by Vincent Steen.
Smith, just a freshman, answered with 1:47 to play. Miles Grimes and Dexter Smith assisted. John Paul Pogson then capped the game with an empty-netter.
“We’ve got a bunch of freshmen,” Glover said. “It’s not like we’re stocked with upperclassmen.
“So I’m proud of these kids because it’s their first high school games ever.”
Simon Lonheim made 29 saves for Kodiak, while Alek Angleton stopped 26 for the Kardinals.
Homer 4, Tri-Valley 1
The Mariners evened their overall record at 2-2 by finishing 2-1 at the tournament. Tri-Valley was 1-2 at the tournament.
Tri-Valley got on the board first when Cordell Randall scored with help from Mike Renshaw and Matthew Bohanan.
River Henry would have Homer up 2-1 by the end of the first period. He scored on assists from Berend Pearson and Seamus Hatton, and Makary Reutov and Pearson.
Homer then scored twice in the third period. Pearson scored on a Henry assist, and Clyde Clemens scored on an Henry assist.
Blaise Banks made 30 saves for Homer, while Elijah Graham stopped 29 for Tri-Valley.
Kenai Central’s Gavin Liles protects the puck from Kodiak’s John Paul Pogson on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, at the Kenai Multi-Purpose Facility in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
