The West Eagles and South Wolverines hockey teams will be in a familiar place Saturday: The state championship game.
Both advanced to the title game by claiming semifinal victories Friday over opponents from the Valley at the Menard Center in Wasilla.
West rode a hat trick from Matthew Patchin to a 6-3 win over Wasilla, and South used a 28-save shutout from Hannah Hogenson to slip past Colony 1-0.
South is the defending state champion and is in the title game for the third time in four years and the ninth time in 16 years. West in the top seed and is playing for the championship for the fifth time in seven years.
In 2014, they played each other in the finale, with South taking a 4-1 victory.
Faceoff is 5 p.m.
In other games Saturday, Colony and Wasilla will meet for third place at 2:30 p.m., and Dimond and Eagle River will play for fourth place at noon.
In West’s victory over Wasilla, the game was much closer than the final score indicated -- the Eagles scored twice in the final two minutes to break open a one-goal game.
With three goals and two assists, Patchin had a hand in all but one West goal. Chase Solberg scored twice and had one assist and Martin Tumey added an empty-net goal in the waning seconds.
Wasilla’s goals came from Dylan Harbour in the first period, Garrison Holler in the second period and Holden Wiltfong in the third period. Wiltfong’s goal made it 4-3 at the 5:35 mark.
Will Simpson made 24 saves for West, and Philip Brevogel had 22 for Wasilla.
In South’s victory over Colony, Logan Maddox scored the game’s only goal in the first period. Hogenson stopped all 28 shots she faced, including 15 in the third period, and Bryant Makas stopped 27 for Colony.
In consolation-round games Friday, Dimond bounced back from a first-round upset to beat Homer 8-2, and Eagle River nipped Service 2-1.
The Lynx, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, won with a team effort -- eight players scored goals, 13 players scored points and two goaltenders made a combined nine saves. Henry Minich led the way with one goal and three assists while helping Dimond pile up 55 shots on goal.
Ethan Pitzman and Phinney Weston scored for Homer, the Division II state champion.
In Eagle River’s win, Tay Kurpius scored both goals and Ryan Gray made 26 saves. Mason Brooks made 29 saves for the Cougars, whose goal came from Ian Bare.