Greatland champions!

Coming off a magical year that saw the Houston Hawks win its first state hockey championship last season, the Hawks entered the weekend with an improbable task at hand - to repeat as the Greatland state hockey champions, kings of class 3A schools.

In front of a packed arena of Houston faithful, the Hawks fulfilled the task of remaining the champions with a 7-2 dismantling of the Delta Junction Huskies in the championship game Saturday at Brett Memorial Ice Arena.

"This championship legitimizes our program," said Houston coach Jamie Smith. "This has been 10 years in the making, with dedication from parents and players who stayed with us."

The Houston hockey program has enjoyed great success in the past few seasons, reaching the championship game the previous three years and winning the state championship the last two years.

Houston looked sharp in its tournament opener against Nikiski Thursday, playing with a relentless attack that overwhelmed the Bulldogs in an 8-0 rout.

Wade Williams, Steve Spidal and Bo Stanberry each scored two goals in the game. Rick Morlock scored a goal and earned a playmaker with three assists. Jake Williams scored a goal and added two assists.

Houston steamrolled Kenny Lake 10-1 in the semifinals Friday to advance to the championship game.

Defenseman Lucas Van Buskirk provided a huge offensive punch with four goals and one assist in the game. Wade Williams scored three goals and added three goals. Jake Williams scored one goal and set up five other goals with assists.

With Delta Junction winning its semifinal game earlier Friday, the Houston win set up the championship rematch between the Hawks and Delta Junction for the third year in a row.

The Williams brothers set the tone of the championship game early by combining on a goal just one minute and seven seconds into the game. Wade Williams drove to the left of the Delta net and sent a pass across the top of the crease to Jake Williams, who tucked the puck in the net before the Delta goaltender could shift over and cover.

Stanberry added another goal from the top of the slot little more than a minute later to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead.

After a Delta goal cut the lead to 2-1, the Williams' reenacted the first goal feat, this time reversing roles for the third Houston goal with 3:57 remaining in the first. Jake Williams added another goal, assisted by Wade Williams, to close out the first period scoring and give Houston the 4-1 lead.

Jake and Wade Williams played with great awareness on the ice, always knowing where each other was to make great passes for wide open shots.

"We've had the same coaches who taught us how to play," explained Jake Williams. "Plus, there seems to be a connection with us that happens between brothers."

Houston added three goals in the second period, scored by Van Buskirk, Jake Williams and Brandon Boehm to lead 7-2 at the end of the second period.

Jake Williams' performance during the championship game was stellar. He was the focal point of every Husky on the ice each time he touched the puck. This worked to Houston's advantage because he would draw a crowd then pass the puck to open Hawks cutting to the net.

"Jake could easily have scored more goals this season," Smith said. "He is such an unselfish player that he always looks for someone else having a better shot."

Jake Williams got the goal or an assist on six of the seven goals scored by Houston in the game.

Delta countered by trying to slow down the Williams brothers attack with physical play. A check to the head of Wade Williams knocked him out of play in the second period. He returned for the third period.

Jake Williams received a blatant chop to the knee by the stick of Delta's Ben Schultz that took him out of the game. Schultz received a five-minute major penalty for his action.

Boehm also sustained a knee injury during play that took him out for the remainder of the game.

Houston played defensively in the third period to preserve the big lead and take away its second consecutive state title.

"I can't say enough about the total team effort that went into this," Smith said. "The rest of the team really stepped up to help us through our injuries."

The domination by the Hawks during the tournament was demonstrated by the lopsided shots on goal tally. Houston had 128 shots on goal during its three games while allowing only 45. Houston scored 25 goals in the tournament while yielding only three.

Immediately following the tournament, presentation of awards took place with Boehm and Matt Bertling being named to the Good Sport team. Van Buskirk, Wade Williams, Jake Williams, Matt Jacob and Matt Dischner were named to the all-tournament team.

Smith has talked about the familiar themes of dedication, commitment and teamwork throughout the season. The Houston Hawks epitomized those themes throughout the season and especially during the championship tournament.