Sports

Despite loss to Service, South will be top seed at CIC hockey tourney

Service 5, South 4

Trailing by two goals early in the third period, the Service boys hockey team reeled off three straight goals Saturday night to upset South, 5-4, in a Cook Inlet Conference game at Ben Boeke Arena.

Though it fell into a tie with Dimond for first place on the final night of the regular season, South earned the No. 1 seed in the CIC tournament that opens Monday because it won a tiebreaker over the Lynx. Both teams finished

12-2-0 in conference.

A fourth tie-breaker — goal differential in head-to-head games — was necessary. Dimond and South split the regular-season series — Dimond won 3-1 and South won 3-0 — so South won the goal battle 4-3.

South's Kris Heck scored

3 minutes, 27 seconds into the third period to furnish the Wolverines a 4-2 lead.

ADVERTISEMENT

But Service's Brandon Vukasin answered just 15 seconds later to cut the deficit to 4-3. Michael Stephens added a game-tying, power-play strike midway through the period and Lachlan Cockrell delivered the game-winning goal with more than five minutes to go.

In Monday's CIC tournament openers, South entertains eighth-seeded East at Ben Boeke Arena at 6:30 p.m. and fourth-seeded Service plays fifth-seeded Chugiak at the McDonald Center in Eagle River at 7:15 p.m.

Tuesday's match-ups feature second-seeded Dimond against seventh-seeded Bartlett at Ben Boeke, and third-seeded West against sixth-seeded Eagle River at the McDonald Center.

Chugiak 3, Eagle River 2

Sam Hanson scored a goal and an assist and D.J. Paxson fended off 22 shots Saturday to help Chugiak beat Eagle River 3-2 in a CIC hockey game at the McDonald Center.

Goals from Kris Tomazevic and Adam Groendyke lifted the Mustangs to a 2-0 lead after the first period. Hanson's goal upped the lead to 3-0 midway through the second period, but Eagle River scored twice in a three-minute span to make it a one goal game after two periods.

Kyle Johnson scored Eagle River's first goal and assisted on Jesse Johnson's goal. Justin Lopez made 25 saves for the Wolves.

Anchorage Daily News

ADVERTISEMENT