Knights, Warriors fall in state hockey semifinals

WASILLA — Late in the game, with the game tied at 1 and a trip to the state title game on the line, the Colony Knights skated on the power play. But a bad bounce and some tired legs helped Dimond spoil Colony’s shot at school history.

Gavan Hardy scored a shorthanded breakaway goal with 4:28 left in regulation to lift the Lynx to a 2-1 win over the Knights during the ASAA First National Cup Division I semifinals Friday at the Menard Arena in Wasilla.

The Dimond go-ahead goal came after 104 total minutes of hockey in just about 24 hours for the Knights, who moved into the semifinal round with a 5-4 triple-overtime win over South Anchorage on Thursday.

“That’s a lot of hockey,” Colony head coach Jamie Smith said after the loss. “Our big guns, they were tired.”

While playing in the triple-overtime quarterfinal game the night before most likely factored into the eventual outcome, Smith lauded the effort of his players, regardless of how gassed.

“The guys are wore out, tired,” Smith said. “It’s a bummer. Our kids played hard.”

The Knights also had their fair share of near-misses. Early in the third, senior Foster Riekena just missed on a breakaway. Later in the period, Tae’jean Evans took a centering pass, and just missed to the left of the goal. Senior Jake Hessinger followed with another chance, and a miss to the right.

“We had a chance to win, a chance to get there,” Smith said of a first trip to the state title game in school history.

Evans scored Colony’s lone goal of the game, a power play tally with 6;56 left in the second. Sitting all alone in the left wing circle, Evans took a pass from between the circles, and fired the shot in the upper left side of the net.

The Evans goal tied the game at 1.

Drake Reid gave Dimond the 1-0 lead with 8:29 left in the second.

Colony senior Cole Doss made 33 saves in the loss, including 14 during the final period.

“He played great today,” Smith said. “He’s had a great season. He’s allowing under two goals a game.”

Wasilla also suffered a loss in the semifinals, falling to West Anchorage 4-1 in the late game Friday. The Warriors, who have become accustomed to scoring the come-from-behind victory, fell behind again, but the rally was cut short.

Alex Engan scored for the third time in two days to cut the deficit to 4-1. Early in the third, Engan took a pass from defenseman Lucas Gudz, cut to the right, and sent a backhander into the back of the net.

Engan nearly scored again on the next shift, but lifted the puck just above the crossbar.

The losses set up an all-Valley third-place match. Colony and Wasilla will meet for the fourth time this season Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Menard. Colony swept the regular season series, but Wasilla rallied to top the Knights in the North Star Conference title game last week.

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