The Soldotna hockey team held off host Homer 3-2 in Northstar Conference action Tuesday.
The win moves Homer and Soldotna to identical 2-6-1 marks in the league, but the Stars currently hold the tiebreaker due to head-to-head action. Homer and Soldotna tied their other conference game this year, while SoHi went 2-1 in nonleague contests against the Mariners.
Soldotna goalie Billy Yoder, with 26 saves on 28 shots, played a major role in holding off the Stars, who jumped to a 3-0 lead.
At the end of the second period, the Stars had that 3-0 lead and were on a power play due to a five-minute major when Homer earned a penalty shot. Yoder turned aside the bid by Garrett Butcher.
Early in the third period, SoHi was on another power play when Owen Delehanty got a breakaway, but was turned aside.
Those two saves would loom large.
With 7 minutes, 46 seconds, left in the game, SoHi committed a turnover and Dmitry Kuzmin scored the goal to cut the gap to 3-1.
Then with 7:10 to play, Homer went on a five-minute major power play. Tim Blakely scored with 4:08 to play for a 3-2 lead, then Yoder made another huge save as the power play expired.
He then held the fort for the last 2:10 for the victory.
SoHi had taken a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Bobo Lott, the first unassisted and the second assisted by Ty Fenton and Coel Nelson.
In the second period, with 12:25 to play, Kenny Flanders, on assists from Levi Hensley and Fenton, scored just as a SoHi power play was expiring for a 3-0 lead.
Markian Polushkin made 13 saves on 16 shots for Homer.
Tuesday
Stars 3, Mariners 2
Soldotna 2 1 0 —3
Homer 0 0 2 —2
First period — 1. Soldotna, Lott (un.), 10:00; 2. Soldotna, Lott (Fenton, Nelson), 12:37. Penalties — Soldotna 2 for 4:00; Homer 1 for 2:00.
Second period — 3. Soldotna, Flanders (Hensley, Fenton), 2:35. Penalties — Soldotna 1 for 2:00; Homer 4 for 11:00.
Third period — 4. Homer, Kuzmin, 7:14. 5. Homer, Blakely, pp, 10:52. Penalties — Soldotna 2 for 7:00; Homer 1 for 2:00.
Shots on goal — Soldotna 4-9-3—16; Homer 10-7-11—28.
Goalies — Soldotna, Yoder (28 shots, 26 saves); Homer, Polushkin (16 shots, 13 saves).
