The Nikiski girls soccer team opened its season on Thursday with a 5-1 loss to Grace Christian at Colony.

Facing a 3-0 deficit at halftime, the Bulldogs stepped up their intensity and Ireland Gilles netted Nikiski’s sole goal midway through the half, according to Nikiski coach Mandy Adair.

“We needed to work out some of the bugs with our defensive formations and marking up in the first half,” Adair said. “We did a better job at winning balls out of the air and possession in the second half.”

Nikiski faces Colony on Friday at 4 p.m.

University of Alaska Anchorage junior Ivy O’Guinn raced to a school record on Friday at the annual Mt. SAC Relays and Bryan Clay Invitational in Walnut, Calif.

O’Guinn, a former Skyview High School track runner, broke the school record in the 800 meters with a new time of two minutes, 10.60 seconds, besting the previous record of 2:10.69 set by current teammate Susan Bick.

The time also improved her NCAA provisional standings.

Montana State junior Lierin Flanagan of Kenai ran the fastest 200 meters of her college career at the Bobcat Open.

Rainbow trout fishing action on the upper Kenai River is beginning to pick up as fish make their annual migration out of Kenai and Skilak lakes and into the main stem of the river, and up the Russian River, for spawning.

Anglers can try fishing white or brown flesh patterns or natural patterns like leeches, smolt or sculpins near the Kenai River bridge at Cooper Landing or at the far end of the Kenai-Russian confluence near the ferry wire.

Fishing might be slow as the river’s water level is extremely low, in part due to the cold spring.

Take heart, Peninsula residents. Ice eventually breaks. It broke in a big way for the Kenai River Brown Bears in Fairbanks on Saturday night.

With an overall postseason record of 0-13 entering the night, the Brown Bears stepped into the winners column with a 2-1 victory over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at the Big Dipper Arena in Fairbanks. Alex Jackstadt had the game-winner on a power play with 10 minutes, 32 seconds, left in regulation. He was assisted by Alec Butcher and Vince Stefan.