Jeff Helminiak

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Nikiski's Ethan Hack prepares to pin Soldotna's Eli Floyd in an exhibtion match at 220 pounds Wednesday at Soldotna Prep.

Soldotna topples Nikiski in pre-Thanksgiving dual meet

Most say they’ll work off their Thanksgiving dinner. Wrestlers actually have to do it.The Soldotna wrestling team defeated Nikiski 60-21 on Wednesday in a dual… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Nikiski's Ethan Hack prepares to pin Soldotna's Eli Floyd in an exhibtion match at 220 pounds Wednesday at Soldotna Prep.
Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Springfield Jr. Blues defenseman Jack Nickels battles for the puck with Kenai River Brown Bears forward Ethan Stewart Friday night at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Jr. Blues sweep Brown Bears

The Springfield (Illinois) Jr. Blues held on for a gritty 3-2 victory over the Kenai River Brown Bears on Friday in North American Hockey League… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Springfield Jr. Blues defenseman Jack Nickels battles for the puck with Kenai River Brown Bears forward Ethan Stewart Friday night at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River forward Jonathan Marzec looks for a hole in the Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets defense Friday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Forward Marzec brings energy, passion to Brown Bears

Kenai River Brown Bears forward Jonathan Marzec is 5-foot-7. He got his start skating on ponds. He’s played a massive number of his games in… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River forward Jonathan Marzec looks for a hole in the Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets defense Friday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Series preview: Brown Bears vs. Blues

The Kenai River Brown Bears hope to solve their five-on-five problem when they face the Springfield (Illinois) Jr. Blues today and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River's Alex Dingeldein gets taken into the boards by Jack Gates of the Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets on Friday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Jets score weekend sweep of Brown Bears

The Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets swept the Kenai River Brown Bears on Friday and Saturday in North American Hockey League action at the Soldotna Regional Sports… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River's Alex Dingeldein gets taken into the boards by Jack Gates of the Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets on Friday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Homer's Kyle Wells reacts after hyperextending his wrist while wrestling Colony's Chayse Eby on Saturday in the championship dual at the Peninsula Duals at Nikiski High School. Wells fought through the injury to score a 7-6 victory.

Homer wins Peninsula Duals

The brain will overcome pain if the “Why?” is strong enough.That “Why?” is pretty strong for the Homer wrestling team right now.The Mariners defeated a… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Homer's Kyle Wells reacts after hyperextending his wrist while wrestling Colony's Chayse Eby on Saturday in the championship dual at the Peninsula Duals at Nikiski High School. Wells fought through the injury to score a 7-6 victory.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Soldotna's Talon Musgrave tries to escape from Kenai Central's Keyshawn McEnerney on Thursday at Soldotna Prep. McEnerney won by major decision in the 160-pound match.

Wrestling roundup: Soldotna beats Kenai; Homer tops Barrow

The Soldotna wrestling team defeated Kenai Central 48-18 on Thursday in a dual meet at Soldotna Prep.The Kardinals actually went 4-2 in contested matches during… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Soldotna's Talon Musgrave tries to escape from Kenai Central's Keyshawn McEnerney on Thursday at Soldotna Prep. McEnerney won by major decision in the 160-pound match.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River goaltender Bailey Seagraves prepares to make a glove save on Tyler Antonucci on Friday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Goalie Seagraves finds his form with Brown Bears

Before the season, Kenai River Brown Bears head coach Jeff Worlton likened his team to the “Island of Misfit Toys.”“We’ve got guys that have tasted… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River goaltender Bailey Seagraves prepares to make a glove save on Tyler Antonucci on Friday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Series preview: Brown Bears vs. Jets

The Kenai River Brown Bears continue a tough early season home slate when the North American Hockey League Midwest Division-leading Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets come to… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Homer's Tim Blakely and Soldotna's Braxton Urban try to corral the puck Friday in the Peninsula Ice Challenge at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Stars, Hawks pick up Friday wins at Ice Challenge

Soldotna coach Derek Urban said that, in a team huddle with the score tied 3-3 with Homer with just 14.3 seconds left in Friday’s Peninsula… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Homer's Tim Blakely and Soldotna's Braxton Urban try to corral the puck Friday in the Peninsula Ice Challenge at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Southcentral Conference volleyball tournament preview: Grace, Nikiski, Seward are top 3 heading into play

The regular season in the Southcentral Conference did a clear job of establishing the top three teams in the league this year. Now it is… Continue reading

SoHi, Kenai gear up for zany NLC volleyball tourney

If recent performance is any indication of future results, a zany Northern Lights Conference tournament could be on tap with three state berths up for… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Kenai Central middle blocker Cierra King (7) and Caleigh Jensen form a block from Soldotna Tuesday night at Kenai Central High School.

Kenai volleyball topples SoHi

This is a night they can’t take away from the Kenai Central volleyball team. Home floor with rabid student section. Match against Northern Lights Conference… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Kenai Central middle blocker Cierra King (7) and Caleigh Jensen form a block from Soldotna Tuesday night at Kenai Central High School.

Soldotna sweeps medium schools all-state Player of Year awards

The Soldotna football team is strongly represented on the Alaska Football Coaches Association Medium Schools All-State Team, released Sunday but individual awards are not an… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Ninilchik forward Austin White (33) shoots amid a scrum of King Cove defenders in March 2015 at the Class 1A March Madness state tournament at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Anchorage.

Ninilchik’s White commits to UAA

Ninilchik boys basketball coach Nick Finley still recalls the first day of practice he had with Austin White, then in eighth grade.“I remember the first… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Ninilchik forward Austin White (33) shoots amid a scrum of King Cove defenders in March 2015 at the Class 1A March Madness state tournament at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Anchorage.
Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Soldotna outside hitter Ella Stenga bats the ball towards the Seward side Tuesday night at the Soldotna Prep gym.

Soldotna volleyball sweeps Seward

It was fitting that Tuesday’s volleyball match between Soldotna and Seward was at Soldotna Prep, because both teams wanted to use the nonconference affair to… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Soldotna outside hitter Ella Stenga bats the ball towards the Seward side Tuesday night at the Soldotna Prep gym.

Kenai tops Nikiski in Killing Cancer on the Kenai match

The Kenai Central volleyball program punctuated a successful Killing Cancer on the Kenai Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser on Monday night by defeating visiting Nikiski 25-17,… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Samantha Kompkoff and Emily Koziczkowski combine for a stuff block against Wasilla in front of a charged-up student body Friday night at Kenai Central.

Weekend volleyball roundup: Kenai earns weekend split

The upset-minded Kenai Central volleyball team had won the first set 25-15 and the Kardinals student body was at full throat. Wasilla coach Josie Cannon… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Samantha Kompkoff and Emily Koziczkowski combine for a stuff block against Wasilla in front of a charged-up student body Friday night at Kenai Central.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion A Kenai Central athlete practices roller-skiing Sunday morning near the Hope Highway junction just off the Seward Highway.

A little technique goes a long way: Liebner returns to give athletes skiing’s secrets

Andy Liebner, a 2001 graduate of Soldotna High School, has spent a sizable portion of his life scouring this continent and Europe to try and… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion A Kenai Central athlete practices roller-skiing Sunday morning near the Hope Highway junction just off the Seward Highway.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River forward Evan Butcher skates the puck up the ice against Johnstown (Pennsylvania) defenseman Adam Pilewicz on Friday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Tomahawks pull off weekend sweep of Brown Bears

In the 2012-13 season, Nick Shackford was an assistant for the Kenai River Brown Bears and fans got a taste for Shackford’s nose for talent… Continue reading

Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kenai River forward Evan Butcher skates the puck up the ice against Johnstown (Pennsylvania) defenseman Adam Pilewicz on Friday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.