Knights make school history, placed 3rd in state hockey tourney

WASILLA — Colony fell short of its ultimate goal, a state championship, but the Knights did make history.

And Colony found an unforgettable way to do it.

Junior Cooper Smith scored early in overtime to lift the Knights to a 4-3 win over the Eagle River Wolves in the third-place game of the ASAA/First National Cup at the Menard Arena in Wasilla. With the win, the Knights posted their highest finish ever in a state hockey tournament. Colony’s previous best was fifth place two years ago.

“It would have been great to get to the finals, but this is awesome. This is the first time ever our school has done this. It’s great to be a part of,” Smith said after the win.

Smith beat Eagle River goalie Ryan Gray at the 6:04 mark of the 8-minute overtime frame to give the Knights the win. His goal came after about three opportunities for the Knights on the Eagle River net.

“Two opportunities right before I missed. I thought, I have to put it away,” Smith said.

Colony’s work in overtime also helped the Knights overcome late heroics courtesy of Eagle River captain Sutton McDonald. Colony led 3-2 late in the game, and with the ERHS goalie pulled and the Wolves skating with the extra attacker, McDonald scored with 23 seconds left in regulation to tie the score and force overtime.

“I told our kids, here’s the thing, nothing is easy. They are not going to just walk away,” Colony head coach Jamie Smith said after the win. “The bottom line, who’s going to score the game-winner.”

The answer.

Jamie Smith’s son Cooper.

Cooper Smith said the Knights wanted to bring the pressure early in overtime.

“We wanted to put it away quick, get it over with,” Cooper Smith said.

The junior forward also helped Colony send its six seniors — forwards Otto Thiele, Jake Kirsch and Cade Havel, defensemen Dayne Cole and Bryce Crosta, and goaltender Joey Diltz — out with a victory.

“I told the young guys, you owe them. These guys have been here for four years, working their (butts) off,”Jamie Smith said.

And Colony’s senior class came up big as the Knights made school history. While Kirsch supplied the bulk of the offense, four seniors came up big for Colony during a key stretch that could have led to disaster for the Knights.

Clinging to a one-goal lead early in the second period, the Knights were tagged with a pair of slashing penalties, setting up two minutes of 5-on-3 hockey for Eagle River. With Thiele and Cole and Crosta in front of him for the majority of the penalty kill, Diltz kept the Wolves off the scoreboard during the stretch.

“Those guys stepped up today,” Jamie Smith said.

Kirsch gave the Knights a quick lead in the win, scoring 45 seconds into regulation. Just moments after the opening face-off, Kirsch took a pass from Cole from the left point, and beat Eagle River sophomore goalie Brenden Whetsell at the 14:15 mark of the first. Midway through the period, Kirsch gave his team the two-goal lead. The play was set up by another shot from the point, this time by Crosta, and Kirsch knocked in a rebound to add to his team’s lead.

Sophomore Tristan Avoletta also scored for the Knights. Diltz made 22 saves in the final game of his career

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Colony 4, Eagle River 3

4A third-place game

Saturday, Menard Arena

First period — 1. Colony- Kirsch (Cole) 14:15; 2. Colony- Kirsch (Crosta) 7:54.

Second period — 3. Eagle River- Rinckey (J. Linn, Dudinsky) 12:27; 4. Colony- Avoletta (Kirsch) 7:58.

Third period — 5. Eagle River- Linn (S. McDonald) 10:20; 6. Eagle River- S. McDonald (Rinckey) ea 0:23.

Overtime — 7. Colony- Smith (unassisted) 6:04.

Saves: Colony- Diltz 5-8-9—22; Eagle River- Whetsell 1-x-x—1, Gray 4-8-7-19.