The 2019 Peninsula Ice Challenge ice hockey tournament, the opening hockey weekend of the regular season, closed-out with an emotion-filled 6-5 victory for the Kenai Kardinals over the Soldotna Stars on the Kenai ice on Saturday.
It was exciting and entertaining, controlled and chaotic, skilled and mistake-filled; in short, it was Kenai vs SoHi hockey!
Kenai 6 – SoHi 5 Peninsula Ice Challenge final game
The Kenai Kardinals survived a 24-shot barrage by the Soldotna Stars and a pair of late SoHi goals holding-off Soldotna for a 6-5 victory in the final game of the Peninsula Ice Challenge. For the contest, Kenai freshman goalie Thomas Baker faced 50 shots from the Stars, allowing only five to find the back of the net and recording the win for Kenai in goal.
1st Period Kenai 2 – SoHi 0
Kenai opened with a pair of first-period goals; Jacob Begich scoring early (3:23) and Zach Burnett finding the net with only :02 seconds remaining in the first. Kenai 2-0.
2nd Period Kenai 4 – SoHi 3
In the second period, Kenai answered each SoHi attack. The Stars Galen Brantley III scored on a power-play at 4:13; then Kenai’s Nate Beiser answered :09 seconds later to re-established Kenai lead at 3-1. SoHi’s Spencer Kapp scored from the blue line at 8:13 of the second and Kenai’s Nate Beiser scored unassisted two minutes later-Kenai 4-2. The Stars struck at 12:15 on a Dylan Walton goal to draw to 4-3 at the end of two periods.
3rd Period Kenai 6 – SoHi 5
The third period scoring was highlighted by a pair of SoHi misplays resulting in a pair of Kenai goals. With SoHi in a power play, Kenai twice stole pucks at the Kenai blue line and converted short-handed goals; one for Tucker Vann and one for Jacob Begich extending Kenai’s lead to 6-3 with about 8:30 remaining. SoHi mounted a late attack with a Brantley goal and a power-play Wyatt Medcoff goal to draw to within one at 6-5 Kenai. Kenai’s goalie Baker held-off the Stars charge for the final three and a half minutes for the victory, 6-5.
In goal for Kenai Baker recorded 45 saves. SoHi’s Colbin Wirz and Josh Tree combined for 29 saves on 35 shots.
The Peninsula Ice Challenge, with the Kardinal victory over SoHi, concluded with three teams with matching 2-1 records. The Dimond JV and Kenai allowed seven goals in each teams three games, SoHi allowed 11 goals. The Dimond team takes the trophy based on a head-to-head victory over Kenai (2-1 on Friday).
Photo Courtesy of Michelle Burnett, Kenai Central High School Hockey facebook page
