West Eagles land coach, six players on all-CIC hockey team

By Anchorage Daily News

Updated: February 9, 2020 Published: February 9, 2020

Eagle River goalie Ryan Gray makes a save on a shot by South's Hayden Fox in South's 2-1 win the third-place game of the Cook Inlet Conference hockey tournament. Both players were named to the all-CIC team. (Matt Tunseth / ADN)

The Cook Inlet Conference heaped honors on the West Eagles on Saturday, naming Nate Shasby the coach of the year and putting six players on the all-conference team.

Forwards Chase Solberg, Ian Keim and Matthew Patchin, defensemen Nicko Opinsky and Ethan Pickett and goaltender Will Simpson earned spots on the 20-player all-conference team. The Eagles, who won the regular-season CIC title and the CIC tournament championship, also won the academic award with a team GPA of nearly 3.5.

Dimond had four all-conference picks and South and Chugiak each had three.

West beat Dimond 5-2 in Saturday’s CIC championship game at Ben Boeke Arena. On Friday, South captured third place with a 2-1 win over Eagle River and Service took fifth place — and the CIC’s final berth in next week’s state tournament — with a 4-3 win over Chugiak.

West, Dimond, South, Eagle River and Service all qualified for the eight-team Division I state tournament beginning Thursday at the Menard Center in Wasilla.

2019-20 All-CIC team

Defense — Nicko Opinsky, West; Ethan Pickett, West; Colton Gerken, South; Henry Minich, Dimond; Tyler Huffer, Chugiak; Drake Reid, Dimond.

Forwards — Chase Solberg, West; Ian Keim, West; Matthew Patchin, West; Hayden Fox, South; Logan Orr, South; Teague Porter, Dimond; Landen Reed, Dimond; Tay Kurpius, Eagle River; Brent Edmondson, Service; Luke Momblow, Chugiak; Jarett Beckett, Chugiak; Bradley Beals, Bartlett.

Goaltenders — Will Simpson, West; Ryan Gray, Eagle River.

Coach — Nate Shasby, West.

GPA award — West 3.477.