Palmer, Colony skaters' season comes to end

KENAI -- The season ended for a pair of local prep hockey teams.

Colony and Palmer each lost in the first round of the Region III championship tournament at the Kenai Sports Center on Thursday.

Skyview edged Colony 4-2 and Soldotna dropped the Moose 8-2.

Skyview and Soldotna will now look to move on in the tournament and earn a berth in the 4A state championship game.

The schools will battle Kenai and Wasilla for the top three positions, each of which would grant an automatic berth to the state meet.

Skyview scored a pair of unanswered goals in the third period to break a 2-2 tie and slip past the Knights.

Ryan Pauling tallied an unassisted goal midway through the first period to tie the score for Colony at 1-1.

Pauling assisted on a Dean Shultz goal as the Knights took a 2-1 lead 32 seconds into the second period.

Matt Dischner stopped 23 shots in the loss.

Soldotna broke an early 1-1 tie with seven straight goals en route to a win over the Moose.

Jaxon Logan tied the score for Palmer with a goal midway through the first period. Alex Sentas added a late score for the Moose.

Complete results of the Region III tourney will be available in the Tuesday edition of the Frontiersman.