Unlucky bounces ice Crimson Bears in second game against North Pole

Perhaps the defining moment of Saturday’s Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé hockey game against North Pole came not on the ice where a number of brilliant skaters competed, but off as a bleacher-laden fan base of high school-age girls broke out in a loud cheer when “Piano Man” was played between periods and their raucous enthusiasm spread to peers and adults close by.

There was no place this group of fans would rather be on a Saturday afternoon than at the rink watching the Crimson Bears play. And deservedly so for the JDHS hockey team is worth admission price. Even though they fell 5-2 to the Patriots, the Crimson Bears left nothing off the ice but their cheer section.

“Uh-huh, yeah, our fans are behind us 24/7,” junior defenseman Isaac Phelps said. “A lot of what happened this weekend was just unlucky bounces. I think four of the five goals tonight were just funky bounces into the net, nothing that we can really control. So we just have to buckle our heads down and grind the rest of this week before going into this next series against Palmer.”

The first unlucky bounce came just over one minute into action when North Pole junior Jacob Weber, assisted by junior Sam Lannet, had his wrap-around shot blocked by JDHS senior goalie Caleb Friend but then accidentally kicked in by a scrum.

JDHS would answer late in the period when senior forward Dylan Sowa, assisted by classmate Emilio Holbrook, put a nice shot into the upper netting to tie the score at 1-1.

North Pole used the top of the second period to take a 2-1 advantage with another blocked shot that found the net. This time Lannet was credited with the goal with 10:56 remaining, assisted by senior Parker Jusczak.

JDHS again showed they would not be overwhelmed on their home ice.

In a bittersweet moment, Crimson Bears sophomore forward Tricen Headings found his own unlucky bounce against the Patriots and put in a rebound shot for his first career varsity goal.

“It was a very exciting moment, my first goal,” Headings said. “It kind of all just came in a flash. All of a sudden I was in front of the goal and I saw it right in front of me and I hit it in the net…I was on my knees and I saw that puck in front of the net and I just had to tap it in. I wish we would have won but, yeah, it was kind of exciting.”

Headings was mobbed by his teammates as the stands erupted.

“It was pretty cool,” Headings said. “All of them were, like, coming towards me and, like, all happy for my first varsity goal, yeah, it was really exciting.”

The experienced players on the Crimson Bears made it a point to congratulate Headings after the game as well.

“Pretty much everybody,” he said. “They come up to me after the game, told me congrats, yeah, it was a special moment.”

That special moment was followed by a Crimson Bears interference penalty and a Patriots cross-checking penalty as the physicality picked up. JDHS would then be called for high-sticking and be a man down, putting more pressure on goalie Friend, who had been dealing with senior-heavy North Pole all weekend, including 15 shots already in the first period.

However, the JDHS penalty killers at this time were Phelps, Sowa, Holbrook and senior Loran Platt, and they rallied in front of Friend to keep the net clean.

“We just all have to put our heads down and grind a little bit more,” Phelps said. “It is a tough situation to be in, obviously, but when you lose a man you just have to try, every time you touch the puck throw it to the other end. There is not a ton you can do, but we just have to buckle our heads down and grind.”

North Pole would find a third lucky bounce with 1:27 remaining in the period as senior Kagen Kramer, assisted by senior Dylan Earl, put a rebound up in the corner for a 3-2 advantage.

“The goalie has got to be the best penalty killer at that point,” JDHS head coach Matt Boline said. “I think earlier in the game, the first three goals they all were off bounces that went off somebody’s body, stick or skate or something so we can either sit around and whine about it or we can make our own bounces. And it just didn’t happen tonight and it can’t happen if we are one or two men down. Any goalie has got to be the best penalty killer at that point, and Caleb was tonight. He did great. We just have to do more in front of him, make sure we don’t put ourselves in a situation.”

The Crimson Bears’ Friend was peppered with 39 Patriots shots and JDHS put 30 against North Pole junior goalie Daniel Rady.

JDHS would earn three more penalties in the third period.

An interference call with 9:35 remaining and a tripping penalty with 8:55 remaining led to a North Pole power play goal with 8:07 left as the Patriot’s Weber scored his second of the day, assisted by sophomore Tripp Wood.

Crimson Bears seniors Sowa, Holbrook and Carter Miller and junior Elias Schane were killing the first penalty, and senior Luke Bovitz and juniors Elliot Welch and Phelps the second penalty.

North Pole added to the melee with a cross-checking penalty with 7:35 left.

With 4:54 remaining, the Crimson Bears were whistled for interference and 40 seconds later the Patriots’ Earl scored, assisted by Hunter Simons, for the 5-2 tally.

“This team, they are in Division II, but they are not in our conference,” Boline said. “Hopefully moving forward we use this experience this weekend and sleep on it, and feel it and let it sting, and use that to learn from the mistakes for next weekend.”

Boline noted one of the major focus points taken from the weekend.

“Composure,” he said. “Self-composure. Whether it is trying to stay out of the penalty box or making better decisions with the puck. If we are dumping it in when we don’t need to dump it in that is a problem. And if we are not dumping it in when we need to, that is a problem, too, so just making good choices and having a plan before you get the puck.”

Saturday Stars of the Game were, third, NP Lannet; second, JD Headings; and first, NP Weber.

JDHS lost in their home opener Friday against North Pole 4-2, being outshot 40-25. Crimson Bears goals came from Sowa (assist Holbrook) and Ryker Nelson (assist Bovitz). Friday SOTG were: 3. NP junior Carter Borkovec; 2. JD Holbrook; 1. NP Kramer.

JDHS plays at Palmer next weekend.

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