The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears hockey team showed why they are a strong contender to finish on top of the Northern Lights Conference defeating Homer in back-to-back matches at the Mariners home rink Friday and Saturday.

On Friday the Crimson Bears put 13 goals into the Mariners net while JDHS senior goaltender Caleb Friend held Homer to just one score.

JDHS senior forward Dylan Sowa and junior forward/defenseman Elliot Welch put in three goals apiece. JDHS senior Zander Smith and junior Isaac Phelps scored two goals apiece, and seniors Luke Bovitz, Carter Miller and Ike Puustinen had one goal each.

Puustinen’s score was his first varsity goal according to coach Matt Boline.

On Saturday the Crimson Bears continued their shot practice with a 9-2 win over the Mariners.

Sowa, Bovitz and Welch scored two goals each. Seniors Matthew Plang and Emilio Holbrook and sophomore Caden Morris had one goal each, and Friend again dominated in the pipes for JDHS.

Game score sheets were not provided by publication time.

JDHS had also beaten defending state champ Houston 8-2 on Thursday on the DII Aurora Conference Hawks home ice.

The two wins over Homer move JDHS to second place in the NLC. The Crimson Bears are 6-3 against NLC opponents and 1-3 against DII Aurora Conference opponents. Against all hockey opponents in DI and DII they are 9-6-1.

Unofficial standings in the NLC have Palmer at 6-1 and 2-0 against AC opponents, JDHS 6-3 (1-3 vs AC), Kenai 5-3, Soldotna 4-4 (2-1 vs AC), Kodiak 1-8 (0-5 vs AC) and Homer 1-4 (0-3 vs AC).

In the AC North Pole is 3-0 and 5-1 against NLC opponents, Houston 3-0 (1-3-1 vs NLC), Monroe 1-2-2 (2-0 NLC), Tri-Valley 3–4-1 (2-1 vs NLC), and Delta 0-5 (1-0 vs NLC).

Next up for the Crimson Bears will be welcoming NLC opponents Kenai to the Treadwell Ice Arena on Jan. 24-25. Outside of the NLC the Cardinals have only played DI opponents, losing to West Valley 3-2, defeating South Anchorage 4-3, losing to Wasilla 2-1, defeating Chugiak 4-3, defeating Bartlett 8-3, defeating South Anchorage 7-4 and losing to South Anchorage 8-6.

This season JDHS has beaten Kodiak 7-2, 5-0 and 9-0, Bartlett 7-5 and 10-6, Soldotna 2-0, Houston 8-2, and Homer 13-1 and 9-2. They have fallen to Houston 6-1, North Pole 4-2 and 5-2, Palmer 4-3 and 8-4, Soldotna 4-3 and tied with Colony 3-3.

All scores across the conferences have not been reported to the Alaska School Activities Association to be updated on their site.

Currently these are DII hockey scores against DII opponents reported to ASAA:

Monroe 12 Homer 1; Palmer 8 Kenai 3; Soldotna 8 Palmer 5; North Pole 13 Homer 1; Soldotna 4 Kenai 0; Houston 4 Soldotna 4; JDHS 7 Kodiak 2; Houston 6 JDHS 1; Soldotna 5 North Pole 2; Palmer 11 Kodiak 0; North Pole 9 Kodiak 1; Kenai 9 Kodiak 1; North Pole 4 JDHS 2; Kenai 6 Kodiak 2; North Pole 5 JDHS 2; Monroe 5 Tri-Valley 4; Palmer 6 Houston 2; Houston 6 Tri-Valley 3; Kenai 7 Soldotna 6; Palmer 4 JDHS 3; Tri-Valley 7 Homer 3; Soldotna 10 Tri-Valley 0; Palmer 8 JDHS 4; Palmer 7 Soldotna 1; Tri-Valley 1 Delta 0; JDHS 5 Kodiak 0; JDHS 9 Kodiak 0; Palmer 4 Kenai 1; Tri-Valley 1 Delta 0; Tri-Valley 5 Monroe 3; North Pole 6 Delta 2; Soldotna 10 Homer 0; Palmer 5 Houston 2; Houston 9 Delta 2; Kenai 5 Kodiak 1; Tri-Valley 4 Monroe 4; Homer 4 Kodiak 1; Soldotna 4 JDHS 3; JDHS 2 Soldotna 0; North Pole 6 Tri-Valley 1; Kodiak 8 Homer 2; Kenai 4 Soldotna 1; North Pole 13 Monroe 1; JDHS 8 Houston 2; JDHS 13 Homer 1; JDHS 9 Homer 2; North Pole 9 Kodiak 1; Monroe 8 Kodiak 1; Houston 6 Tri-Valley 1; North Pole 5 Delta 4; Delta 5 Kodiak 3; North Pole 3 Monroe 3; Tri-Valley 5 Kodiak 3.

• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.