Soldotna, Homer and Kenai Central begin play at the Division II state hockey tournament Thursday at the Patty Center in Fairbanks.
Homer drew the top seed and plays No. 8 Tri-Valley at 5 p.m. Just one week ago, the Mariners toppled the Viking Warriors 12-2.
Soldotna won the Railbelt Conference for the second straight year, with Homer finishing second, but the Stars drew the No. 2 seed and play No. 7 seed Houston at 2:30 p.m.
Kenai Central, the No. 5 seed, plays North Pole, the No. 4 seed, at 7:30 p.m. The other game is No. 3 seed Palmer, the defending champ, against No. 6 seed Glennallen.
This is the second year for the three peninsula schools playing in Division II. Last year, the Kardinals did not make state. Soldotna lost to Palmer 4-3 in overtime in the semifinals, while Homer lost 6-5 to Palmer in overtime in the state final.
The winner of the Division II tourney plays in the Division I tourney from Feb. 13 to 15 at the Curtis Menard Sports Complex in Wasilla.
Division II state hockey
at Patty Center, Fairbanks
Thursday’s games
Game 1 — Homer vs. Tri-Valley, 5 p.m.
Game 2 — North Pole vs. Kenai Central, 7:30 p.m.
Game 3 — Soldotna vs. Houston, 2:30 p.m.
Game 4 — Palmer vs. Glennallen, noon
Friday’s games
Game 5 — Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, noon
Game 6 — Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 2:30 p.m.
Game 7 — Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 5 p.m.
Game 8 — Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Fourth-sixth place — Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, noon
Third-fifth place — Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser, 2:30 p.m.
Championship — Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 5 p.m.
