Winterhawk Bantams headed to Lake Placid

KENAI - The Big Lake Winterhawk Squirt B hockey team is bound for Lake Placid, N. Y., after winning the state championship in Kenai recently.

The squad, which is a combined group of players from the Big Lake Amateur Hockey Association (BLAHA) and Matanuska Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA), beat the Anchorage All Stars 2-1 in overtime to seize the Tier II Bantam title. Now, the group is headed to Lake Placid for the Can-Am tournament, one of the most prestigious tournaments in America.

The kids are real excited about playing down there, said Paul Friese, who assists Jamie Smith with the teams coaching duties. They are really happy we get to go.

In the state tourney, Jeremiah Dargis scored the overtime game-winning goal on an assist by Ryan Henderson. Logan Hubert scored the Winterhawks first goal of the game. The victory avenged a 4-2 loss to the All Stars in the first round.

The Winterhawks followed with a 5-0 win over the Anchorage Junior Aces and a 2-1 win over the Anchorage North Stars.

In the semifinals, the Winterhawks beat the Eagle River Mustangs 5-1.

The team finished with a 35-6-4 record this season, and Friese said it could have been even better.

A few of the those losses came against teams that are in higher divisions than us, Friese said. Those kids played their hearts out this year.