Welcome to The Rewind, a weekly digest that puts a spotlight on the biggest stories and best performances from Alaska’s world of sports.
This past week featured several notable team and individual performances across the Alaska sports landscape at the prep, collegiate and professional levels. The longest high school basketball win streak in state history came to an end and a perennial power in Division II hockey won a championship. On the college scene, the University of Alaska Anchorage women’s basketball team beat a nationally ranked opponent again while the men’s hockey team beat its in-state rivals for the first time since the program was reinstated. Outside the state, several Alaskans had impressive performances both domestically and internationally at the collegiate and professional levels.
Headlines and highlights
The 2023-24 high school hockey postseason got underway at the Division I level with regional championships last weekend. In Division II, a state champion was crowned on Saturday night. After coming up short of a successful title defense last year, the Houston boys hockey team reclaimed its spot atop Division II with a 7-0 shutout of reigning champion Soldotna.
“We wanted to prove that last year was a fluke and that we’re still the best team,” Houston head coach Lane Styers said. “Those guys were on a mission and there was no talking crap or anything like that all year long. It was just like we’re going to go prove to everyone that they got lucky that they didn’t run into us last year.”
At the Division I level, both of the top seeds in the Region IV tournament that took place in town between Cook Inlet Conference teams fell at the hands of South Anchorage, which claimed its fourth regional title in the last seven seasons. The Wolverines upset No. 1 ranked West Anchorage on Thursday and prevented reigning state champion Chugiak from repeating as region champs on Saturday thanks in large part to the contributions of brothers Cole and Vance Schmidt, who played vital roles in the 2-0 shutout victory. Cole, a senior, was the starting goalie while Vance, a freshman, scored the first goal of the game which wound up being the only one they needed to prevail in the end.
“Our team really turned it on when we got to playoff time,” Vance Schmidt said. “Regular season we had some rough patches, but when it comes down to big games, we were able to put it away. (The win) will put us in a good spot (at state). We’ll have a lot of confidence.”
[Schmidt brothers push South past Chugiak in CIC hockey championship]
In high school hoops action, the Wasilla girls basketball team pulled off a major victory Friday night when it beat two-time defending 4A state champion Mountain City Christian Academy, formerly known as Anchorage Christian School. The Warriors used a dominant defensive effort to stifle the high octane offense of the Lions and snapped their historic win streak against in-state competition at 133 which dated back to the 2017-2018 season.
“I thought my girls did a fabulous job playing defense,” Wasilla head coach Jeannie Herbert said. “We held a prolific scoring team to 32 points and three points in the second quarter. I thought they just beared down defensively and did a great job communicating and holding them off.”
Elsewhere in prep basketball, the Colony girls team ran the table at the annual Lady Lynx tournament that was hosted by Dimond High and looked like a force to be reckoned with while doing it. The Knights won all four games by 14 or more points including two by 20-plus. Their most impressive win came on Friday in the semifinals against Service which is expected to be one of the top contenders in the state this year. They prevented the Cougars’ standout freshman Aryanna Watson from taking over the game and used a 22-4 run in the third quarter to turn what was a tightly contested game into a rout.
“These girls decided to turn it on in the second half and that’s what we did,” Colony head coach Chandice Kelly said. “We hammered them on defense and they really got after it. Defense is the difference and what kind of sparks what we do on the offensive end too.”
[Colony girls basketball erupts in third quarter to blow past Service in Lady Lynx tournament]
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On the college sports scene, the UAA hockey team accomplished a feat Saturday it had yet to reach since the program was fully reinstated two years ago. The Seawolves came from behind down one goal in the first period to outscore rival UAF 4-1 in the final two periods to notch their first win over the Nanooks in their last 12 meetings. They erupted in the second period with three goals including what wound up being the game winner by senior forward Connor Marritt for the third.
“We’ve been waiting for that moment for so long and just to have it in our hands and celebrate with the guys was great,” Marritt said. “It’s been a long time coming and feels so good. I wish we could’ve done this sooner but I hope this keeps trending in the right direction.”
[UAA hockey team finally triumphs over UAF in final game of Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup series]
The hockey team wasn’t the only one to overcome long odds to defeat a formidable foe with an impressive performance. The UAA women’s basketball team bested nationally ranked Western Washington for the second time this year in a 77-69 victory on Saturday night, completing the season sweep. The Seawolves were led to the nearly double-digit victory by junior point guard Senya Rabouin, who scored a career-high 28 points.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the guts and toughness our team displayed tonight, both mentally and physically,” UAA head coach Ryan McCarthy said in a statement. “We learned a painful lesson the other night, but I think we put that knowledge to good use and displayed great poise tonight, even when they made their runs. Hopefully this can spark some momentum for us again as we head into the home stretch.”
While the UAA women’s hoops squad pulled off a stunning upset, the men’s team fell victim to one just one week after besting No. 1 nationally ranked Saint Martin’s. On Saturday night, the Seawolves were beat by nearly 20 points by rival UAF, which had just four wins on the season heading into the game. The Nanooks were led to victory thanks in large part to Anchorage’s own Demarcus Hall-Scriven who recorded his first double-double of the season by tying his season high in points with 14 and tying for the team lead in rebounds with 10.
“This is my last time playing in the city and this was a must-win,” said Hall-Scriven, a senior guard. “Win or lose, I had to have a big game because it was my last time playing in front of the hometown and home crowd.”
[Anchorage’s Demarcus Hall-Scriven leads UAF basketball team to historic upset over hometown UAA]
Several members of the UAA nordic ski team had strong showings on the second day of the Colorado Invite on Saturday including a trio of top-10 finishes. Senior Leon Nikic made it to the podium for the second time at the event with a second-place finish in the slalom by posting the third-fastest first run (41.39) and the 13th-best second run (39.20) for a combined time of 1:20.59. sophomore Ella Bromee was leading the field after the first run with a 44.12 but fell back to 21st (1:31.79). Sophomore Ainsley Proffit finished stronger than she started and went from being eighth overall entering the second run to finishing fourth overall (1:28.77).
“We’re getting closer to that win on both the men’s and women’s sides,” UAA head coach Sparky Anderson said in a statement. “Ella had a commanding lead after run one, but got crossed up after a combo on the second run. We all see that she’s right there. It’s coming. Leon has been dominant all series. Both are so close to that top step which is exciting. Carmen made a huge move today too, which was great to see. Ainsley skied lights out and was just off the podium tonight. It’s coming. Our kids took their shots tonight. We’re just building the momentum. Trying to peak at the right time. The second half of the season is going to be fun.”
The Anchorage Wolverines had their six-game winning streak come to a screeching halt over the weekend after getting swept by the Wisconsin Windigo in a two-game road series. The Wolverines were outscored a combined 11-4. Anchorage had four players record a goal including leading scorer Fyodor Nikolayenya, who now has 19 in 37 games to go along with 22 assists for 41 total points.
The 2024 Alyeska Cup was held over the weekend, with Mia Huey (U12 girls), Finn Sunberg (U12 boys), Ava Huey (U16 girls), Jaxon Murphy (U18 boys) and George Von Wichman (U21 men) all winning a pair of super G races. All of the racers were from the Alyeska Ski Club with the exception of Sunberg, who skis for Hilltop Alpine Race Team.
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Alaska stars shining Outside
Two of Alaska’s greatest talents to ever grace the hardwood faced off for the first time Friday as Anchorage’s Alissa Pili and Sayvia Sellers each had standout games in the Pac-12 clash between the women’s basketball teams of the Universities of Utah and Washington. Pili of Dimond fame, led the Utes to an 83-65 victory with a team-leading 31 points while Sellers, a former Anchorage Christian School star, tied for second on the Huskies in scoring with 15 points — the second highest total of her freshman year.
Sellers’ older brother Jahbez, of Bettye Davis East fame, also had a strong showing last week with a double-double Wednesday. The former Thunderbird led the Spokane Community College men’s basketball team to a 90-86 win over Walla Walla Community College by dropping a game-high 27 points and collecting 11 rebounds.
Anchorage’s Mia ‘Uhila recorded her ninth double-digit scoring outing of the season for the Portland State University women’s basketball team in a 72-65 loss to Sacramento State University on Saturday. The former Bartlett star finished second on the Vikings with 15 points and recorded five rebounds and a steal as well.
Anchorage’s Isaiah Moses recorded his 17th double-digit scoring outing of the season for the University of California Riverside men’s basketball team in a 76-70 loss to California State University at Northridge on Saturday. The former Dimond star finished second on the team in scoring with 17 points despite a poor shooting percentage from the field.
Ketchikan’s Isaac Updike returned to the same track in which he became the fastest Alaskan to run the mile the week prior to produce another historic result. With his mark of 7 minutes, 45.10 seconds in the 3,000 meters at the Boston University’s Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational this past Saturday, he not only finished fourth but produced the second-fastest time ever by an Alaskan in the event with a personal best. He surpassed Don Clary of Anchorage, a 1984 Olympian, for the second spot on the all-time list and now only trails Trevor Dunbar, who ran it in 7:43.33 in 2016.
Para Olympian Andrew Kurka of Palmer was back in action and came in first in a downhill alpine race in the men’s sitting ski division in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy last Tuesday. At the site where the 2026 Paralympics will be held, the long-time member of the U.S. Para Alpine Team finished the race in 1 minute, 21.44 seconds to edge runner-up Kurt Oatway of Canada by 0.19 seconds.
“I’ve been off for two years,” Kurka said via fis-ski.com. “I came back in to today and I was ready to send it, ready to show that I still have it.”
Fast forward
Prep
Hockey
ASAA State Championship tournament Menard Sports Complex
The 2023-24 postseason will be coming to a close this week with the 2024 ASAA Division I state championship tournament that will take place out in Wasilla at the Menard Sports Complex. Action starts on Thursday and will wrap up Saturday night with the championship game at 5 p.m. South and Chugiak will face each other in the first round for a chance to advance to take on the winner of West and West Valley on one side of the bracket while Dimond and Service will take on Colony and Wasilla on the other for the chance to see each other in the semifinals.
Basketball
Service at East (boys), Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Two of the top contenders at the 4A boys prep basketball divisions will square off in town for the second time this season looking to extend their respective winning streaks. The defending state champion Thunderbirds have yet to lose to an in-state opponent this season and have rattled off four straight since suffering their first defeat at the hands of St. Joseph (Calif.) at the Alaska Airlines tournament. The Cougars have won six straight since narrowly falling to East in mid-January and are surging heading into the second half of the season.
Skiing
Region IV Championships
The 2023-24 postseason will officially be getting underway across the state this week, and in Anchorage, the Region IV championship will be taking place on the trails at Kincaid Park. On Friday, a 7.5K classic race will start at noon and a 3K freestyle relay will go down the following day at 11 a.m.
Last week’s results
Boys Hockey
Monday
Bartlett 8, Eagle River 4
Tuesday
Dimond 16, Bartlett 2
South 9, Service 1
Thursday
Chugiak 4, Dimond 1
South 2, West 1
Houston 10, Tri Valley 0
Palmer 12, Kodiak 0
Kenai Central 4, Juneau-Douglas 2
Soldotna 4, North Pole 2
Friday
Juneau-Douglas 7, Tri-Valley 0
North Pole 6, Kodiak 2
Houston 9, Kenai Central 1
Soldotna 4, Palmer 3
West Anchorage 5, Dimond 2
Bartlett 9, Service 8
Saturday
Juneau-Douglas 5, North Pole 1
Palmer 7, Kenai Central 2
Houston 7, Soldotna 0
South 2, Chugiak 0
Bowling
Tuesday
Boys
Eagle River 29, Bartlett 6
Eagle River - Riley Lanehart 289
Bartlett - Nick Jones 203
East 27, Service 8
East - Tristan Andrew 205
Service - Marc Richard 173
West 20, South 15
West - Jahdyn Odom 233
South - Patrick Vottis 206
Dimond 35, Chugiak 0
Dimond - Timothy Kiehn 253
Chugiak - Michael Nelson 136
Girls
Bartlett 22, Eagle River 13
Bartlett - Mai See Cha 149
Eagle River - Morgan Van Slyke 153
East 20, Service 15
East - Chacity Kuamoo 226
Service - Alyssa Porcelli 189
West 31, South 4
West - Anika Stanley 176
South - Sharon Cho 173
Dimond 35, Chugiak 0
Dimond - Abigail Jokela 211
Chugiak - Abigail Lanehart 177
Thursday
Boys
East 31, Bartlett 4
East - Colton Penetac 213
Bartlett - Nick Jones 170
South 31, Eagle River 4
South - Patrick Vottis 213
Eagle River - Michael Jennings 205
Service 33, Chugiak 2
Service - Paul Clark 161
Chugiak - Michael Nelson 147
Dimond 29, West 6
Dimond - Logan Jokela 228
West - Donovan Gee 205
Girls
East 22, Bartlett 13
East - Chacity Kuamoo 244
Bartlett - Mai See Cha 158
Eagle River 28, South 7
Eagle River - Morgan Van Slyke 166
South - Noelle Jones 151
Chugiak 31, Service 4
Chugiak - Abigail Lanehart 192
Service - Alyssa Porcelli 182
Dimond 30, West 5
Dimond - Abigail Jokela 203
West - Anika Stanley 162
Boys Basketball
Tuesday
Dimond 69, West 63
Birchwood Christian 38, Sand Point 33
King Cove 75, Lumen Christi 49
Monroe Catholic 68, North Pole 37
Grace Christian 61, Wasilla 48
Service 70, Chugiak 34
East 76, Bartlett 51
Colony 49, Mountain City 36
Houston 63, Redington 53
South 62. Eagle River 44
Hutchison 53, Ben Eielson 48
Wednesday
Lumen Christi 55, Sand Point 45
Delta 67, Galena 37
Sitka 67, Kotzebue 57
Thursday
Nelson Island 87, Kalskag 41
Chevak 71, Chief Paul Memorial 56
Shishmaref 89, White Mountain 57
Cook Inlet Academy 81, Tok 48
Delta 52, Galena 37
Sitka 77, Kotzebue 41
Hooper Bay 107, Alakanuk 36
Thunder Mountain 71, Kodiak 49
Seward 58, Ninilchik 38
Wrangell 68, Haines 50
Bethel 56, North Pole 47
Friday
Bethel 55, Ninilchik 49
Seward 45, North Pole 36
South 51, Bartlett 48
East 66, Chugiak 22
West 76, Eagle River 74
Su Valley 57, Glennallen 41
Homer 84, Nikiski 32
Valdez 65, Ben Eielson 41
Monroe Catholic 68, Lathrop 59
Wasilla 43, Mountain City 39
Juneau-Douglas 94, Kodiak 70
Grace Christian 83, Soldotna 54
Ketchikan 54, Thunder Mountain 45
Mt. Edgecumbe 89, Kotzebue 42
Saturday
Tok 64, Tri-Valley 55
North Pole 55, Ninilchik 41
Chevak 67, Lewis Angapak 62
Grace Christian 75, Kenai Central 35
Valdez 47, Ben Eielson 32
Susitna Valley 51, Glennallen 27
Seward 67, Bethel 46
Juneau-Douglas 75, Kodiak 50
Mt. Edgecumbe 87, Kotzebue 51
Bethel 62, Nelson Island 52
Thunder Mountain 61, Ketchikan 43
Cook Inlet Academy 70, Bristol Bay 48
Hooper Bay 62, Chevak 55
Girls Basketball
Monday
Newhalen 52, Lumen Christi 28
Klawock 61, Kake 22
Tuesday
King Cove 33, Lumen Christi 29
Sand Point 50, Birchwood Christian 15
Dimond 54, West Anchorage 38
Hutchison 22, Ben Eielson 20
Service 65, Chugiak 33
Houston 35, Redington 24
Wasilla 59, Grace Christian 41
Mountain City 60, Colony 38
Bartlett 36, Bettye Davis East Anchorage 34
South Anchorage 49, Eagle River 27
Mt. Edgecumbe 72, Sitka 46
Wednesday
Galena 43, Delta 40
Susitna Valley 57, King Cove 22
Sand Point 34, Lumen Christi 23
Hooper Bay 73, Lewis Angapak 37
Newhalen 48, Nome-Beltz 38
Colony 59, Ketchikan 21
Chevak 75, Russian Mission 38
Sitka 62, Kotzebue 22
Thursday
Kalskag 37, Nelson Island 36
Newhalen 59, Kali 29
Shaktoolik 51, Buckland 35
Delta 43, Galena 16
Dimond 47, Lathrop 43
Barrow 50, Palmer 37
Hooper Bay 63, Scammon Bay 44
Seward 63, Ninilchik 31
Glennallen 38, Houston 32
Service 54, Ketchikan 34
Davis-Romoth 49, Aniguiin 13
Tok 54, Cook Inlet Academy 19
Friday
Newhalen 54, Shishmaref 42
Manokotak 74, Togiak 51
Mt. Edgecumbe 82, Kotzebue 37
Homer 41, Nikiski 35
North Pole 52, Seward 33
Grace Christian 55, Soldotna 19
Wasilla 47, Mountain City 32
Valdez 59, Ben Eielson 19
Juneau-Douglas 42, Thunder Mountain 40
Barrow 65, Dimond 47
Manokotak 86, Chief Ivan Blunka 47
Chevak 37, Hooper Bay 33
Ninilchik 59, Cook Inlet Academy 30
Saturday
Akiachak 43, Tuluksak 35
Manokotak 67, Togiak 31
Valdez 51, Ben Eielson 18
Kongiganak 67, Eek 33
Scammon Bay 55, Hooper Bay 48
Grace Christian 61, Kenai Central 27
Soldotna 38, Homer 32
Manokotak 63, Chief Ivan Blunka 57
Newhalen 61, Brevig Mission 40
Thunder Mountain 42, Juneau-Douglas 28
Mt. Edgecumbe 78, Kotzebue 36
Colony 57, Barrow 33
College
Hockey
UAA 4, UAF 2
Women’s Basketball
Thursday
Simon Fraser 79, UAA 72 (OT)
Saturday
UAA 77, Western Washington 69
Men’s Basketball
Saturday
UAF 65, UAA 49
NAHL
Friday
Wisconsin Windigo 6, Anchorage Wolverines 2
Saturday
Wisconsin Windigo 5, Anchorage Wolverines 2
U12/14 Super G Races (Race 1)
Thursday
Super G Results Race 1
U12 - Girls
1. Mia Huey, Alyeska Ski Club
2. Eva Croffut, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Skyler Binder, Alyeska Ski Club
U12 – Boys
1. Finn Sunberg, HART
2. Julien-Didier Stiassny, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Finn Pelkola, Alyeska Ski Club
U14 - Girls
1. Miriam Satre, Juneau Ski Club
2. Cameron Miller, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Reilly Cooper, Alyeska Ski Club
U14 - Boys
1. Jed McDonald, HART
2. Harlow Wilson, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Brance Robinson, Alyeska Ski Club
U12/14 Super G Races (Race 2)
Thursday
Super G Results Race 2
U12 - Girls
1. Mia Huey, Alyeska Ski Club
2. Eva Croffut, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Skyler Binder, Alyeska Ski Club
U12 – Boys
1. Finn Sunberg, HART
2. Julien-Didier Stiassny, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Finn Pelkola, Alyeska Ski Club
U14 - Girls
1. Breanna Heiner, Alyeska Ski Club
2. Miriam Satre, Juneau Ski Club
3. Reilly Cooper, Alyeska Ski Club
U14 - Boys
1. Henry Nordstom, Alyeska Ski Club
2. Harlow Wilson, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Brance Robinson, Alyeska Ski Club
U16/18/21 Super G Races (Race 1)
Friday
Super G Results Race 1
U16 - Girls
1. Ava Huey, Alyeska Ski Club
2. Elizabeth Hutcheson, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Victoria Tostemar, Alyeska Ski Club
U16 – Boys
1. Tad Guse, Alyeska Ski Club
2. Austin Murphy, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Pierre-Samuel Stiassny, Alyeska Ski Club
U18 - Girls
1. Brook Lentfer, Alyeska Ski Club
2. Paige Heinz, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Elizabeth Alderson, Alyeska Ski Club
U18 - Boys
1. Jaxon Murphy, Alyeska Ski Club
2. Reuben Jeffers, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Mason Vazquez, HART
U21- Men
1. George Von Wichman, Alyeska Ski Club
U16/18/21 Super G Races (Race 2)
Friday
Super G Results Race 2
U16 - Girls
1. Ava Huey, Alyeska Ski Club
2. Victoria Tostemar, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Elizabeth Hutcheson, Alyeska Ski Club
U16 – Boys
1. Ian Naylor, Alyeska Ski Club
2. Austin Murphy, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Pierre-Samuel Stiassny, Alyeska Ski Club
U18 - Girls
1. Paige Heinz, Alyeska Ski Club
2. Brook Lentfer, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Elizabeth Alderson, Alyeska Ski Club
U18 - Boys
1. Jaxon Murphy, Alyeska Ski Club
2. Corbin Wilson, Alyeska Ski Club
3. Reuben Jeffers, Alyeska Ski Club
U21- Men
1. George Von Wichman, Alyeska Ski Club