The Homer Divas Women’s Hockey League took three teams to the statewide tournament in Anchorage last weekend. All teams placed in the top three in their division.

The Novice Divas faced teams from Anchorage, Healy and Kenai. With tough high-scoring battles, the Novice Divas finished the tournament with a 2-2 record.

Top scorers for the team were Beth Benson, Terri Larson, Amanda Miotke, and Chessie Sharp, Chuck Flyum, and Leah Thon. Novice MVPs for the tournament were Kari Dendurent (G), Chuck Flyum, Krista Etzweiler, and Beth Benson and Tatiana Kuzmin.

The Advanced Divas finished second in their division. They faced teams from Anchorage and the Valley. They faced the two strongest teams, Team BOB and the Grinders, early in the tournament. The Advanced Divas lost their first game to Team Bob 2-3, with both teams equally matched in play, but Divas just short one goal. Both Diva goals were scored by Joanna Riley, who also was Game MVP.

Next, the Advanced Divas played hard and fast against the Grinders to win 3-0. The game was a goalie showdown, with Michelle Hatton stopping every shot the Grinders could make and getting a shutout win as well as MVP. Goals were scored by Andrea Stineff (2) and Ori Badajos.

The final regulation game for the Advanced Divas was against the Hockey Hos, a familiar rival on the ice. The Divas won handedly by a score of 12-0 and were on the way to the championship game. They faced Team BOB again in the championship game which proved to be exciting from start to finish.

The two teams were tied 1-1 first period, with Joanna Riley scoring for the Divas. The second period ended 2-2 with another goal by Joanna Riley. The third period began with a fluke rebound goal for team BOB and the Divas were down by one for the last 5 minutes of the game. There were multiple penalties with Diva Shelly Laukitis getting called for interference, and the Grinders taking two penalities in the last two minutes to give the Divas a 5 to 3 advantage. Even with the advantage the Divas could not even the score.

The final score was 2-3, allowing the Advanced Divas to claim second place in their division.

The Intermediate Diva team took home the first place trophy. With all three teams in their division extremely strong and competitive, the intermediate Divas fought hard for each win. They faced teams from Kodiak, Anchorage and the Valley.

They faced Kodiak first and although they outplayed them they could not find any scoring opportunities, losing the game 1-0. MVP was Goalie Molly Duggan. Feeling the sting of defeat they regrouped and took to the ice against the Anchorage Stick Magnets with newfound ferocity. They managed to win soundly 3-1. Goals were scored by Christy Newell (2) and Hannah Snow. MVP was Christy Newell.

Going into their final regulation game the Divas were needing a win against the PubHounds from the Valley if they wanted to continue on to the championship. The PubHounds were physical but no match for the Divas. The Divas scored the first two goals, with Christy Newell and Hannah Snow finding the back of the net. The Pub Hounds matched the Divas goal to goal ending the second period 2-2.

The game was looking to end in a tie when Nora found the net and gave the Divas a win and a ticket to the championship crossovers. MVP was Di Carbonell.

The Championship game was against Kodiak. Divas took the lead early and never let up. The only goal scored by Kodiak was early in the first period. After that the Divas took control with goals scored by Hannah Snow, Leslie Mastick and Marina.

The final score was 3-1 with Divas taking home the championship trophy. MVP for the game was Nora Rojek.

Pictured:

Divas Intermediate Fools On Ice Champions

First Row L to R: Leslie Mastick, Molly Duggan, Ingrid Harrald, Kris Holderied, Loretta Brown

Back Row: Hannah Snow, Marina Pulushkin, Di Carbonell, Karyn Noyes, Nora Rojeck, Christy Newell, and Kate Maulder

Novice Fools On Ice Champions:

First Row LtoR Beth Benson, Amanda Miotke, Krista Etzweiler, Kari Dundrant, Chessie Sharp, Brandy Mcgee, Mary Ferris

Back: Teri Larson, Chuck Flyum, Frankie Opatz, Leah Thon, Maggie Goedeke, Tatiana Kuzmin

Advance team block shots during their game against the Grinders.