This much is for sure about the Cook Inlet Conference hockey tournament, which begins Tuesday at Ben Boeke Ice Arena:
• The last-place Bartlett Golden Bears have already been knocked out of the tournament by COVID-19, the Anchorage School District said earlier in the week.
• Dimond is the No. 1 seed and South is the No. 2 seed.
• Chugiak has a red-hot goalie.
Everything else was still up in the air entering the league’s last two regular-season games on Saturday night. The four teams trailing Dimond and South in the standings are so close that the remaining seeds hinged on those final games.
Also unknown is whether the school district will relax attendance limits for games in conjunction with the city of Anchorage’s easing of COVID-19 restrictions beginning on Monday. Throughout the regular season, attendance has been limited to four spectators per player.
“We are currently looking into the possibility of increasing the number of tickets for indoor sports and hope to have a decision soon,” ASD spokesman Alan Brown said.
No decision had been made by early Friday afternoon, he added: “I do anticipate something early next week before Tuesday.”
Dimond coach Dennis Sorenson said Saturday he isn’t expecting capacity restrictions to be relaxed. He said Chugiak assistant principal Travis Morgan, the ASD administrator in charge of hockey, told coaches “he doesn’t believe the (city’s emergency order) allows a change.”
The tournament runs through Saturday, when a champion will be crowned in a 6:30 p.m. championship game.
Dimond and South will both receive first-round byes. The other four teams all play Tuesday.
Because not everyone played an equal number of regular-season games because of COVID-19 cancellations, winning percentages will be used to help decide seedings, Sorenson said.
Dimond clinched the No. 1 seed with an 11-2 regular-season record and South earned the No. 2 seed with a 9-2 record that included an 8-1 romp over Chugiak on Friday night. Chugiak goaltender Daegen Love made 55 saves in the loss, including 33 in the third period.
CIC tournament at Ben Boeke Ice Arena
Tuesday’s games
4:30 p.m. — No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed
6:30 p.m. — No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed
Wednesday’s game
6:30 p.m. — South vs. winner of Tuesday’s 4:30 p.m. game
Thursday’s game
6:30 p.m. — Dimond vs. winner of Tuesday’s 6:30 p.m. game
Friday’s game
6:30 p.m. — Third place
Saturday’s game
6:30 p.m. — Championship
Standings through Friday
Dimond 11-1
South 9-2
Service 5-5
Eagle River 5-6
Chugiak 4-7
West 4-6
Saturday’s games (end regular season)
West vs. Service
Eagle River vs. Chugiak