Knights win Big Lake hockey tourney

BIG LAKE — The Colony Knights continued their torrid start to the 2014-15 season posting three convincing wins during the Big Lake Lions Classic over the weekend.

Colony captured the tournament title Saturday night with a 5-1 win over the Palmer Moose.

Jacob Link scored a pair of goals to help the Knights win the eight-team tournament and improve to 10-0-1 overall. The Knights have won 10 straight games. The only blemish is a 2-2 tie against Wasilla in the first game of the season.

Jake Branch continued his stellar tourney scoring early in the first period to give the Knights the 1-0 lead. Thirteen seconds after Branch scored, Link scored the first of his two goals to give Colony the 2-0 lead.

Cole Clements scored for Palmer at the 8:44 mark to cut the Knights' lead in half. But less than 30 seconds after Clements scored, Link struck again for the Knights to push Colony's lead to a pair of goals once again.

Cooper Smith and Josh Boyer scored in the third period for CHS.

Colony outshot Palmer 35-11 in the game.

The Wasilla Warriors earned third place in the tournament with a 6-4 win over Juneau-Douglas.

Senior Blake Marks notched the hat trick during the Wasilla win. Marks scored his first goal in the first period to give the Warriors the 2-1 lead. He added a pair of goals, including a power-play tally, in the third.

Larsen Tubbs added a pair of goals in the win. Garrett Conroy also scored. Braden Brunnhoelzl led Wasilla with three assists.

In other action, the Colony junior varsity skated to an 11-1 win over Houston.

Cade Havel led the Knights with four goals. Jake Hessinger and Jake Branch each scored twice. Cooper Smith led CHS with four assists.

In the fourth-place game, Homer beat Hutchison 7-2.

Colony 5, Palmer 1

Saturday, Big Lake Rec Center

First period — 1. Colony- Branch (Boyer) 11:19; 2. Colony- Link (Sanders, Boyer) 11:06; 3. Palmer- Clements (Dojka) 8:44; 4. Colony- Link (Kempenski) 8:15.

Second period — no scoring.

Third period — 5. Colony- Smith (Kempenski) 11:16; 6. Colony- Boyer (Thiele, Foster) 3:25.

Shots on goal: Colony 19-3-13--35, Palmer 5-3-3--11; Saves: Colony- Diltz 4-3-3--10, Palmer- Grogan 16-3-11--30.

Wasilla 6, Juneau 4

Saturday, Big Lake Rec Center

First period — 1. Juneau- Barnum (Moser) 12:28; 2. Wasilla- Tubbs (Brunnhoelzl, Harren) 7:08; 3. Wasilla- Marks (Schruf) 2:43.

Second period — 4. Juneau- Hebert (Moser, Cheeseman) pp 1:03.

Third period — 5. Juneau- Jones (Cheeseman) 14:21; 6. Wasilla- Tubbs (Brunnhoelzl) 12:43; 7. Wasilla- Marks (Conroy, Schruf) pp 10:37; 8. Wasilla- Marks (Park, Brunnhoelzl) 4:48; 9. Juneau- Hebert (Ainsworth) pp 2:16; 10. Wasilla- Conroy (Schruf, Whitlatch) 1:56.

Shots on goal: Juneau 8-17-12--37, Wasilla 18-9-12--39; Saves: Juneau- White 16-9-8--33; Wasilla- Verplancke 8-15-1--24, Curry x-x-9--9.

Colony JV 11, Houston 1

Saturday, Big Lake Rec Center

First period — 1. Colony- Hessinger (Smith, Branch) 10:54; 2. Houston- Smolden (A. Natekin) 3:26; 3. Colony- Branch (Smith) 3:06; 4. Colony- Griffeth (Hernning, McLaughlin) 0:26.

Second period — 5. Colony- Hessinger (Branch, Smith) 0:23.3.

Third period — 6. Colony- Branch (Smith) 8:22; 7. Colony- Havel (Crosta, Inukai) 7:44; 8. Colony- Inukai (Rickena) 7:00; 9. Colony- Havel (Rickena, Inukai) 3:50; 10. Colony- Havel (Rickena) 3:12; 11. Colony- Ketchum (Smith, Crosta) 0:46.

Shots on goal: Colony JV 23-10-15--48, Houston 5-12-12--29; Saves: Colony- Doss 5-12-x--17, Elwell x-x-12--12; Houston- Allred 23-10-x--33, Mysenyenkin x-x-15--15.