Kenai Central’s Logan Mese, assisted by Avery Martin, scored 1 minute, 24 seconds, into overtime to lift the Kardinals to a 4-3 victory over Soldotna on Thursday in Northern Lights Conference action at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.
Kenai moves to 13-9 overall and 7-2 in the league and wraps up the second spot in the conference behind Palmer. The Kards finish their regular season by facing Homer at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Kenai Multi-Purpose Facility for senior night.
The Stars fall to 10-10-2 overall and 4-4 in the league and can clinch the third automatic state spot out of the conference by defeating Kodiak on Friday at 4 p.m. and Saturday at 3:45 p.m. at the sports complex.
The Division II state tournament is Feb. 6 to 8 at the sports complex.
The Kardinals had to twice come from a goal down to finish 2-1 in the regular season against the Stars, including 2-0 in conference play.
“This is a big win for us,” Kenai head coach Steve Hallam said. “Hats off to SoHi. They played great.
“They’re always dangerous. I feel like every time there is a mistake, they capitalize on it.”
SoHi had the opening possession of overtime but when the Stars failed to get the puck deep, Mese and Martin broke out two-one-one.
Martin had the puck on his stick. When the defender committed to Martin, he slipped a pass to Mese, who had an initial shot turned away by Soldotna goalie Brycen Clyde before tapping in the rebound.
“Both of those guys, honestly, they’re great kids, so it was good to see that play out,” Hallam said. “Those guys put their heart and soul into the program.
“That’s the thing I love about high school hockey is you create memories for the rest of your life.”
Mese finished with two goals, while Martin had three assists, even though the dynamic duo was the focus of Soldotna’s scheme.
“We played straight to the game plan,” SoHi head coach Anthony Zurfluh said. “We knew we had to contain them, and we just made a mistake there at the end.
“I’m not disappointed with our group one bit. Everybody, top to bottom, played good.”
In the first period, Kenai took the lead on a goal by Sawyer Vann, assisted by Martin.
SoHi’s Daniel Heath came back with two straight goals to put his squad up 2-1 with 4:03 left in the first period. The first was a power-play strike assisted by Noah Crabtree and Zack Zurfluh, while the second was assisted by Marshall DeRaeve.
Before the end of the first period Mese, with help from Hallam, had the game square.
The Stars were outshot in the game with Clyde making 33 saves and Kenai’s Evyn Witt stopping 23.
Zurfluh said Mese had a lot to do with that.
“We were working on our forecheck, but not getting too low, because we know they’re going to get him out of the gates,” Zurfluh said. “We were trying to respect him there, and making sure we could contain him a bit.
“And I thought we did a good job.”
Just 1:16 into the second period, SoHi’s top line struck again for a 3-2 lead, this time with DeRaeve, assisted by Heath, sniping one home on the rush.
The Stars had a chance to add to that margin later in the period with 28 seconds of a five-on-three power play, but could not.
“They’re so good on the power play, you just kinda pray a little bit,” Hallam said.
The coach said defensemen Vann, Cole Langham, Cameron Schwin and Gavin Langham all had great games.
But Langham and Schwin were in the box for the five-on-three, so Hallam said freshman Brett Goldsby stepped up with some huge penalty-kill minutes.
SoHi finished 1 for 4 on the power play, while Kenai was 1 for 3. With 3:39 left in the game, Braden Smith put in a rebound on the power play to tie it. Martin and Vann assisted.
Hallam said his team is resilient even when trailing.
“They’re just positive,” he said. “They don’t get really shaken. They’re not fighting each other.”
With solid defense and goaltending, and dangerous first lines, both Zurfluh and Hallam said the central peninsula’s two squads are primed to be factors at state.
“Brycen played a heck of a game,” Hallam said. “He saves a couple two-on-one breakaways.
“Evyn Witt’s been playing lights out. He wants to win.”
The two coaches also said the game is a good preview of the tight, dramatic matches that should take place at state.
“We gave ourselves a chance to win,” Zurfluh said. “We just fell short.”
Thursday
Kardinals 4, Stars 3, OT
Ken 2 0 1 1 —4
Sol 2 1 0 0 —3
First period — 1. Kenai, Vann (Martin), 2:40. 2. Soldotna, Heath (Crabtree, Zurfluh), pp, 8:24. 3. Soldotna, Heath (DeRaeve), 10:57. 4. Kenai, Mese (Hallam), 12:02. Penalties — Kenai 1 for 2:00.
Second period — 5. Soldotna, DeRaeve (Heath), 1:16. Penalties — Kenai 2 for 4:00; Soldotna 2 for 4:00.
Third period — 6. Kenai, Smith (Martin, Vann), pp, 11:21. Penalties — Kenai 1 for 2:00; Soldotna 1 for 2:00.
Overtime — 7. Kenai, Mese (Martin), 1:24. Penalties — none.
Shots on goal — Kenai 16-10-9-2—37; Soldotna 7-8-10-1—26.
Goalies — Kenai, Witt (26 shots, 23 saves); Soldotna, Clyde (37 shots, 33 saves).
Power plays — Kenai 1 for 3; Soldotna 1 for 4.
Soldotna’s Draiden Mullican and Kenai Central’s Noah Hallam battle for the puck Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna celebrates a goal from Daniel Heath (far right) on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Central’s Logan Mese scores the game-winner in overtime against Soldotna goalie Brycen Clyde on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Central’s Braden Smith gets past defenseman Keegan Myrick and goalie Brycen Clyde to tie the game in the third period Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
