Wasilla carries 14-game winning streak into state

By JEREMIAH BARTZ

Frontiesman.com

WASILLA — Eight teams remain in the race for the 4A state hockey title. And of those eight, arguably no team is hotter than the Wasilla Warriors.

The Warriors will put their 14-game win streak on the line when Wasilla meets West Anchorage Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Menard Arena in the first round of the ASAA/First National Bank 4A State Hockey Championships.

“We’ve worked hard all year. I have no doubt in my mind, we’re ready for state,” Wasilla senior captain Brett Keene said after the Warriors were crowned North Star Conference champions Saturday evening in Wasilla.

Wasilla edged Soldotna 3-2 in the NSC final to win its first conference championship since 2010 and extend its winning streak to 14.

“We’ve played great as a team all year,” Keene said.

Last Friday, Wasilla blanked Homer 3-0 to clinch its fourth straight state tournament bid. Wasilla placed fourth in the state tourney last year.

Wasilla and West met earlier this season at the Brett Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla, and the Eagles needed an overtime goal to get by the Warriors 5-4.

“It’s good to go against someone we’ve already played,” Keene said. “We know they did beat us before. We’re definitely going to have to bring it this week.”

Wasilla assistant Jeff Urban agreed.

“I like the matchup,” Urban said. “I felt like we made a few more mistakes than we should have in that (last) game.”

Wasilla finished 10-0-0 in the NSC regular season and scored key nonconference wins over Service and East Anchorage.

South Anchorage and Lathrop share the top half of the bracket with Wasilla and West Anchorage, and will meet Thursday at 5 p.m. South is the Cook Inlet Conference champion, thanks to a 2-0 win over Service. Lathrop suffered a double-overtime loss to West Valley in the Mid-Alaska Conference title game.

West Valley, Dimond, Service and Soldotna are all on the bottom side of the bracket. West Valley meets Dimond Thursday at noon, and Service plays Soldotna at 2:30 p.m.

The championship semifinals are scheduled for Friday at 5:30 and 8 p.m., with the consolation semifinals slated for 8 and 10:15 a.m. Friday. The 4A state title game is Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The Greatland bracket, which features the 3A schools, was also released by ASAA. Houston, in its first season back at the 3A level after spending time in the 4A MAC conference, is the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Hawks face fourth-seeded Delta Friday at 3 p.m. in the semifinal round of the four-team bracket. No. 2 Hutchison meets No. 3 Monroe Friday at 12:30 p.m.

For more on Houston’s return to the 3A state tourney, see the Friday edition of the Frontiersman.

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