Cougars

Matthew Meszaros and Aaron McGinnis scored 20 seconds apart during the first period to spark the Service hockey team to a 4-1 victory over Chugiak on Thursday night.  Andrew Cummings scored earlier in the first for the Cougars, who led 3-0 after one period and never looked back. The issue was decided by the third period, when Ben Morse buried the Mustangs only goal of the night.   Service improves to 3-1-0 in CIC play, while Chugiak drops to 2-2-0.

Dimond's 9-0 Cook Inlet Conference victory over Service was highlighted by an unusual 5-on-3 shorthanded goal by Daniel Roberts.  The strike gave the Lynx a 3-0 lead that they would not relinquish.  Roberts ended the night with four goals.  Dimond also broke through five times on the man advantage. The win gives Dimond a 6-0-0 start to conference play, while Service drops to 5-2-0.

The East High hockey team played without three suspended players on Monday night against Service. Despite the suspensions, the T-Birds still nearly managed to pull out a win. East led Service 1-0 in the second period on a goal by Alex Jackstadt before watching Service rally to win, 3-2. The Cougars improve to 2-0-0 in CIC play, while East drops to 1-1-1. Conor Deal scored both the game tying and go-ahead goals for the Cougars, while Andrew Cummings added goal number three.

Football players come in all shapes, sizes and, these days, even genders. A successful team enjoys depth of talent and you might call Service “Alaska's Noah's ark” because the Cougars have two of everything. Since opening the season with a loss to West, Service has reeled off four-straight wins, dramatic ones, to reach number two in the ASBN poll. Last week against Chugiak, Service played back-up quarterback Amu Aukusitino in place of a hobbling J.J. Christy. All the sophomore did was complete 12 of 18 passes and engineer a game winning drive, culminating in Taylor Bomar's winning field goal.

Eight teams are vying for the title of the 31 st Cougar Tip-off. Bartlett and South faced off Thursday in a matchup of Cook Inlet Conference schools. The Wolverines came storming out of the gate, starting with a 12-9 lead, but Bartlett sliced into the deficit. Damon Sherman-Newsome led a comeback rally with 20 points, giving Bartlett a 63-54 victory. Defending 2A state champion Point Hope took on Anchorage's only 2A school, Lumen Christi. Zach Lane and Adam Sage, two multi-sport standouts, carried the Harpooners to a 20-0 lead.

The Service Cougars beat the South Anchorage Wolverines 37-23 on Saturday for the First National Bowl Large Schools State Championship title. The victory capped off an unbeaten season by the Cougars, who finish the year 10-0-1. The Wolverines scored first, quarterback Zach Lujan broke the plane on a 4&1 play from the 2-yard line to make it a 7-0 game in the first quarter. It was only the second time all season that service trailed an opponent. The Cougars used a strong defensive effort for their first points of the contest.

Numi Ilalio has stepped down after one season as head football coach of Service High School.  Ilalio told Channel 2 on Tuesday afternoon that he came to his decision prior to losing the large school state championship game to South this past Saturday and that he felt exhausted by the demands of being a head coach. Although he was only head coach for one season, Ilalio was a major part of the Cougars success from the mid 2000's to this year.  He was a firey and active assistant coach that helped the Cougars win state titles in 2008 and 2011.  With Ilalio, Service had a 19 game winning streak against Alaska competition that started with the first game of the 2011 season and wasn't broken until the Cougars' defeat to South.

Service High School’s hockey team took the ice Thursday night against a North Pole team fielding only 10 skaters, with the Cougars quickly using their superior numbers to wear down the Patriots. Service’s Garrett Brown quickly sank a puck four minutes into the game, followed by a Henry Yawit goal three minutes later in a first period that ended with the Cougars ahead 3-0. Yawit went on to score a second goal plus an assist, helping to seal a 7-0 rout by Service. Contact Kevin Wells at kwells@ktuu.

The Service wrestling team continued its recent run of success by defeating South 51-27 in a dual match on Wednesday night. The Cougars came into the meet having narrowly missed out on the team title in last weekend's Jerry Palmer Meet, in which they lost a tiebreaker to Wasilla. There was no stopping Service in this one, however. Stephen Ellis, Derek Zorea, and Jason Jeffords began the match with three consecutive pins at 189 pounds, 215 pounds, and 285 pounds respectively. The Cougars padded their victory margin with four wins by forfeit.

Lathrop's Anders Carlson scored the game-winning goal with 8 point 7 seconds left in regulation to lift the Malemutes past the Chugiak Mustangs, 4-3 and into the semifinals of the ASAA 4A Hockey Tournament in Wasilla.  The win places Lathrop into the semifinals against Dimond in a rematch of the 2009 title game won by the Malemutes.  The Lynx remained undefeated on the season by defeating Wasilla in the quarterfinals, 6-1.  ...

Nathan Wright made 23 saves as the South Wolverines stayed unbeaten on the season with a 2-0 win over Service in the Cook Inlet Conference tournament title game.  Both teams are bound for the ASAA tournament next week in Wasilla. In a tightly played game with only three combined minor penalties, Tyler Onstott scored the only goal for South until Steven Orizotti's empty net tally with one second remaining.  Onstott's goal deflected off a Cougars' stick and past Dustin Fritz, who made 18 stops in the loss.     

Numi Ilalio has stepped down after one season as head football coach of Service High School.  Ilalio told Channel 2 on Tuesday afternoon that he came to his decision prior to losing the large school state championship game to South this past Saturday and that he felt exhausted by the demands of being a head coach. Although he was only head coach for one season, Ilalio was a major part of the Cougars success from the mid 2000's to this year.  He was a firey and active assistant coach that helped the Cougars win state titles in 2008 and 2011.  With Ilalio, Service had a 19 game winning streak against Alaska competition that started with the first game of the 2011 season and wasn't broken until the Cougars' defeat to South.

South Anchorage beat Service 28-19 for the Large Schools Football State Championship on Saturday.  The victory marks the first time the Wolverines have beaten the Cougars sine 2008.  It is also the first loss that Service has suffered against an Alaskan opponent in two years and snaps a streak of 19 straight victories over in-state competition.  And it gives the Wolverines sweet vengeance for losing last year's title game to the same Service squad....

Lathrop's Anders Carlson scored the game-winning goal with 8 point 7 seconds left in regulation to lift the Malemutes past the Chugiak Mustangs, 4-3 and into the semifinals of the ASAA 4A Hockey Tournament in Wasilla.  The win places Lathrop into the semifinals against Dimond in a rematch of the 2009 title game won by the Malemutes.  The Lynx remained undefeated on the season by defeating Wasilla in the quarterfinals, 6-1.  ...

The 10th-ranked UAA women's basketball team capped off a perfect road trip to Hawaii with a 62-45 rout of St. Xavier, the #13 program in NAIA.  The Seawolves are a Division II program.  Hanna Johansson led three Seawolves in double figures with 15 points.  Gritt Ryder ( 14 points ) and Kaylie Robison ( 11 points ) also hit double figures for UAA, which improves to 10-2 overall.  The Seawolves led by only four points at halftime before opening the second half on a 21-4 run. UAA opens the Great Northwest Athletic Conference portion of the schedule Thursday, December 29th at Central Washington.

The Service Cougars beat the South Anchorage Wolverines 37-23 on Saturday for the First National Bowl Large Schools State Championship title. The victory capped off an unbeaten season by the Cougars, who finish the year 10-0-1. The Wolverines scored first, quarterback Zach Lujan broke the plane on a 4&1 play from the 2-yard line to make it a 7-0 game in the first quarter. It was only the second time all season that service trailed an opponent. The Cougars used a strong defensive effort for their first points of the contest.

Junior Quarterback Amu Aukusitino rushed for 154 yards, accumulated 354 yards of total offense, and ran a punt back 75 yards for a touchdown as top ranked Service dominated in all three phases in a 48-13 win over South Anchorage on Friday night.  The victory keeps the Cougars undefeated against Alaska competition, while the Wolverines drop to 3-2 in the Cook Inlet Conference. Aukusitino dashed 62 yards for a score on Service's initial drive to make it 7-0.  It was 28-0 by halftime.  Matt Ilalio also had a big game for the Cougars with three rushing touchdowns.  Jonathan Jenkins blocked a punt a returned it for six points, the first of two special teams scores for Service.

Service's 42-7 win over Dimond on Saturday was enough to put them at the top of this week's Alaska Sports Broadcasting Netowrk Football Poll. Chugiak jumped up to the number two spot from last week after stomping Eagle River 35-14. Juneau jumps into the poll as well with a 2-0 record.  South's riveting win agianst Bartlett on a late two-point conversion threw the Wolverines in the poll, while Bartlett's loss dropped the Golden Bears down from number one to number five.

With the first high school football action of the season the Service Cougars played to a 34-34 draw Thursday night against the Leilehua Mules in Hawaii.   Officially a preseason contest there was no overtime played. Cougars Junior Quarterback Viliamu Aukusitino put forth a monster effort in the game.  Aukusitino threw for one touchdown, ran for two, and made a fourth trip to the house in the fourth quarter on a 100 yard interception return.  The returning player of the year posted a state line of 187 yard passing, 88 yards rushing, 100 yard interception return.