Crimson Bears ready to take skating show to state tournament
- Klas Stolpe
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
JDHS hockey team starts quest for the Division II title Thursday against Soldotna in Palmer
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears hockey team will open the Alaska School Activities Association Division II Hockey State Championships against their Northern Lights Conference foe Soldotna on Thursday at the MTA Events Center in Palmer.
“They seem to be a perennial rival for us year after year,” JDHS coach Matt Boline said. “We may have gotten the upper hand on them in December, but just like us, SoHi always gets better throughout the year. We expect to be playing a stronger squad on Thursday than we faced earlier in the season.”
JDHS defeated Soldotna 1-0 and 4-0 at Sohi on Dec. 3-4, and despite finishing in second place in the NLC with an 8-2 record (10-5 overall), JDHS was ranked fifth in the state tournament seeding behind the fourth-ranked Stars, who finished third in the NLC at 6-3 (14-9-1 overall). Tournament seedings are based on strength of schedules and opponents’ schedules throughout the season.
“We will be staying with what’s working,” JDHS captain Elliot Welch said. “Hard work, playing smart and playing with intensity, but we just have to remember to not get sucked into the offense zone and play good defense. Something important that we need to stay on top of is staying positive and focused, working hard ‘til the very end and communication.”
JDHS freshman defenseman Manu Adams scored his first career varsity goal in the Dec. 3 win, assisted by junior forward Tricen Headings and senior forward Paxton Mertl, and junior goalie Jed Davis stopped 28 shots for a clean sheet while the Crimson Bears fired 31 shots on the Stars’ goal.
“Just sticking to working hard and playing with intensity,” Tricen Headings said of facing Soldotna. “We also have to remember to keep our heads up as well as keeping the positivity up on the bench.”
In the Dec. 4 win over Sohi, JDHS’ Welch “lit the lamp” in the first period unassisted. In the third period, JDHS senior Paxton Mertl scored, assisted by Welch and sophomore Summit Bos, JDHS alternate captain Nolan Cruz scored, assisted by junior Bryden Roberts, and sophomore Ryker Nelson scored, assisted by Robert and senior alternate captain Isaac Phelps. Davis stopped 20 shots in that clean sheet, and JDHS put another 31 shots against the Stars’ side.
“Sohi is a strong team,” Phelps said. “We are looking to focus on toughness…Beating them twice earlier in the year was great, but beating them a third time is not an easy task. We will all need to play some of the best hockey we’ve played if we want to come out holding a trophy this weekend.”
Added Cruz, “I think for the team to be successful against Sohi we need to have a hard forecheck.... I like competing with strong teams... It really is hard to believe that it is my last year. And that is why we are going to try our best to win the tournament. ”
On JDHS’ side of the tournament bracket, the Aurora Conference champion North Pole (7-1 AC, 19-2-1 OA) faces eighth seed Kodiak who finished fourth in the NLC at 4-6 (9-11 OA). The Patriots defeated the Bears 7-2 in early January.
On the opposite side of JDHS in the bracket, Palmer, first in the NLC with a 9-1 mark (18-6 OA), is ranked second at state and faces seventh-ranked Delta Junction - AC third-place finisher at 3-5 (6-14-1 OA). This will be the first faceoff this season between the Moose and Huskies. State third-ranked Houston, second in the AC at 7-1 (15-6-1 OA), plays state sixth seed Monroe, fourth in the AC at 2-6 (8-7 OA). The Hawks defeated the Rams 6-1 and 6-2 in late January.
Game times for Thursday action include #1 North Pole versus #8 Kodiak at 11 a.m., #4 Soldotna versus #5 JDHS at 1:30 p.m., #3 Houston versus #6 Monroe at 4 p.m. and #2 Palmer versus #7 Delta at 6:30 p.m.
“Their coaching staff always comes with a game plan for us and we just need to have faith that ours will be better this time around,” Boline said of Soldotna. “There is a lot of parity in high school hockey around the state right now. It could be anyone’s championship to win at this point. Most of these games are going to come down to getting better puck luck and capitalizing on opportunities.”
Semifinals are at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Friday. Consolation semifinals are Friday at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The state championship is Saturday at 5 p.m., the third/fifth place game at 2:30 p.m. and the fourth/sixth place game at noon.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
