Lynx edge Warriors to win Division I state hockey final

WASILLA — The Wasilla Warriors beat Dimond 2-1 twice during the regular season. The Warriors and the Lynx met for a third time Saturday.

Same score, different result.

Dimond edged Wasilla 2-1 during the ASAA/First National Cup Division I State Hockey Championships title game at the Menard Arena in Wasilla.

“It’s tough,” Wasilla head coach Jake Dargis said after the loss. “I don’t know if you could ask for a more competitive, hard-fought game.”

Tristan Berntsen and Tyson Johnson scored within about a four-minute span early in the third period for the Lynx. Roman Holler had given the Warriors a lead with his second-period goal.

Dargis said, after Dimond took the lead, his players kept battling.

“We kept going,” Dargis said. “We stuck through it. Everybody kept pushing, had belief in each other. It sucks to come up short.”

Wasilla pulled goalie Jakob Barcelona with 1:54 left in regulation for the extra attacker.

“We had a couple chances in that last minute,” Dargis said.

Dargis also said he felt Barcelona helped keep Wasilla in the game. Barcelona made 27 saves.

“You get the bounce your way sometimes, sometimes you don’t,” Dargis said.

Holler gave the Warriors the 1-0 lead with 6:57 left in the second period. Austin Petersen sent a pass from near the right corner across the crease to Holler, who tapped in the puck from the back side. Seconds before, Stephens grabbed a turnover in the Dimond defensive zone to set up the possession. Evan Koivunen also grabbed an assist on the goal.

Dimond earned its ninth state hockey title with the win.

Wasilla advanced to the state title game for just the second time in school history. The Warriors also finished second in 1989, falling to rival Palmer in overtime.

“I don’t think the guys should hold their head down,” Dargis said. “Getting here is great. I don’t think second is something to be ashamed of. Obviously we wanted more.”

Wasilla skated into the final with a 4-1 win over West Anchorage during the semifinal round. Dargis said it was the opposite of the Wasilla-Dimond season series. West was 2-0 against the Warriors during the regular season, but beat the Eagles in the semis.

Karson McGrew notched the hat trick in the Wasilla win. McGrew scored twice during a 24-second span in the third, and added a goal with 38 seconds left in regulation. Roman Holler also scored for the Warriors.

Wasilla scored four unanswered goals.

Wasilla, the top seed in the bracket, opened with a 4-3 win over the Houston Hawks, who won the Division II state title the weekend before.

The Colony Knights finished fourth in the tourney with a 4-3 overtime win over Service during the final day of the tourney. Kaden Lynch scored early in the extra period to help give Colony the win.

Colony bounced back from a first-round loss to South Anchorage with a 3-1 win over Chugiak in the consolation semifinals.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at editor@frontiersmn.com.