The win over Juneau, a team still coming into its own, came Nov. 19 and kicked off a long weekend of grueling hockey.

Suffering from 24 penalties and more than 50 minutes of power play opportunities in just three games and an already short bench, the Mariners soon wore down.

According to Coach Buck Laukitis, the Ms were chomping at the bit to get a piece of Juneau, and that was reflected in aggressive play.

"There was a high level of competitiveness on every play and in every situation. The kids know that if they play at the top of their game they can compete. It was just a back and forth battle," he said.

On the first night, the Ms pulled down four goals, with No. 9 Robert Lewis blasting two goals in the first and third periods.

For the Mariners the win was a major step, said Laukitis.

"We basically went from feeling like a JV team two weeks ago to beating a really good rival and playing some good hockey at moments," he said.

Erik Rosencrans and Carson Duggar both fired one into the net, putting the Ms over the top against Juneau by a score of 4-3 with 11 penalties recorded.

The next night the Ms came up against Hutchison, a school that usually competes head to head with the Ms but which showed extraordinary strength, outlasting the Mariners and only allowing one goal through the steady stick work of Robert Lewis.

But this year's Hawks were more than just good, they had something special, said Laukitis.

"If that team doesn't win the small schools state championship I'll eat my shoe, that's really how good they are. It's something we can aspire to for our players," said Laukitis.

The Hawks split the first and second periods pulling down three goals each before the Ms stuffed their scoring attempts and allowed just one goal in the third period, losing the game 7-1.

Saturday afternoon held a similar story when the Mariners took on Eagle River, a team that has struggled against the big Anchorage schools in the past but has dramatically turned their program around this year, said Laukitis.

Eagle River blanked the Ms, and scored seven goals of their own, with five of those coming in the second period putting Eagle River well over the top, winning the game 7-0.

The Mariners punished Eagle River where they could, but had difficulty finding their way back into the flow of the game.

The Ms worked on controlling their play and gradually reduced penalty time throughout the shootout from 11 penalties against Juneau, to eight against Hutchison and tying Eagle River with five.

Laukitis plans to get his team back to the basics this week, and give the guys some rest over the Thanksgiving holiday before taking on the Mariners' next challenge, three tough teams from the valley in Palmer, Colony and Wasilla at home.