MOOSE STUNNED

Frontiersman

WASILLA — Zach Richards didn’t even have a chance to enjoy the moment.

Just seconds after the Palmer senior captain scored the go-ahead goal during the final minutes of regulation, Soldotna posted the game-tying score and went on to claim a 4-3 overtime victory over the Moose in the North Star Conference Hockey Tournament championship game at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena on Saturday.

“We were down but we felt like we could come back,” said Soldotna head coach Aaron Swanson, who led the Stars to their first NSC title since 1998.

Soldotna sophomore Brad Duwe scored the game-winner with 2:16 left in overtime. SoHi captain Daniel Markstrom set up the play, firing a shot on net as he crossed the right circle in the Palmer zone. Duwe was in front of the net to knock the puck in.

Soldotna needed just 23 seconds to answer Richards’ score, an unassisted tally that came with 2:37 left in the third. On the ensuing shift, Soldotna sophomore Brandon Fisher walked the puck up to the left circle and flipped a shot into the upper shelf of the Moose net.

“It shocked them,” said Soldotna sophomore Brad Duwe, who was named the conference’s player of the year following the game. “Coach was telling us, keep fighting, keep fighting.”

The game ended in regulation locked at 3-3, and it took Soldotna nearly six minutes of the eight-minute overtime frame to post the game-winner, but the Stars felt Fisher’s goal was the game-changer.

“Richards’ goal was the momentum swinger, potentially, but our guys didn’t let it bring them down, and we went and got the goal back,” Swanson said.

Richards gave the Moose the temporary lead after cashing in on an outstanding individual effort. As Soldotna tried to skate the puck out of their own zone, Richards poked the puck away from the last defenseman back, and when he laid out to take possession of the puck, Richards was able to knock a shot into the lower left side of the net.

“He worked hard on the forecheck, picked up a turnover and slipped it by (the goalie),” Palmer head coach Brad Hanson said. “That was a great play by him.”

Duwe led the Stars with a pair of goals in the game and Markstrom added a power-play goal and two assists.

Duwe gave the Stars the early lead at the tail end of the first period when he turned a Palmer turnover into a Soldotna score. As Palmer tried to work the puck out of its own zone, skating the final seconds off the clock, Duwe dashed in, and with his stick, the sophomore poked the puck away. Almost immediately, Duwe put a quick shot on the Palmer net. As the puck popped off the pads of Moose goaltender Will Rauchenstein and bounced in front of the crease, Duwe was able to knock in his own rebound despite falling chest first on the ice.

“I just shot the puck in and it was a big blur,” Duwe said. “I got up and saw it going in.”

Soldotna had the lead going into the first intermission, even though the Moose controlled play during the first period, outshooting Soldotna 11-7.

“Palmer came out tonight and really took it to us early,” Swanson said. “They controlled the play for the first half of the period.”

Junior Kyle Blakeman and sophomore Jared Hanson each scored within the first five minutes of the second period to give the Moose the 2-1 lead.

Blakeman put Palmer on the board just 1:28 into the second when he redirected an Andrew Ferguson shot. With Blakeman parked in front of the Soldotna goal, Ferguson threw a shot in from the point. The puck deflected off Blakeman’s stick and past Soldotna goalie Steven Kendrick.

About three minutes later, Hanson gave the Moose the 2-1 advantage. After Hanson’s older brother Michael won a battle behind the net and sent a centering pass in front of the goal, Jared took advantage of open space, walked the puck up and fired a quick shot that beat Kendrick on his stick side.

“In the second period, we were eight or nine minutes into the period before we got off a shot,” Swanson said.

Markstrom tied the game for the Stars with a power play tally late in the period. As Soldotna skated on its third power play chance of the game, Fisher moved the puck across the zone to Markstrom, who snuck a shot past Rauchenstein low and on the goalie’s stick side.

The title game featured a pair of teams that are not accustomed to winning NSC championships. By advancing to the title game, Palmer earned its first state tourney berth since 1996 and was looking for its first NSC crown since 1991. Soldotna has not won the title since 1998, but finished second in 1999, 2000, 2003 and 2008.

Despite the loss, Brad Hanson was very proud of the accomplishments of his team.

“I’m extremely excited about this season, our seniors, how they turned this program around,” Hanson said. “I’m proud of everybody that stepped on the ice tonight. They worked as hard as they possibly could. Anytime you lose a game like this it’s agonizing. But fortunately for them, they get to play some more hockey and have another opportunity to show how good they are.”

Both teams will begin state tourney play on Thursday at the Menard Arena. The 4A brackets will be released by ASAA today.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Soldotna 4, Palmer 3 OT

North Star Conference title game

Saturday, Menard Arena

First period — 1. Soldotna- Duwe (unassisted) 00:07.

Second period — 2. Palmer- Blakeman (Ferguson) 13:32, 3. Palmer- J. Hanson

(M. Hanson) 10:20, 4. Soldotna- Markstrom (Fisher, Endsley) pp 4:06.

Third period — 5. Palmer- Richards (unassisted) 2:37, 6. Soldotna- Fisher (Markstrom) 2:04.

Overtime — 7. Soldotna- Duwe (Markstrom) 2:16.

Shots on goal: Soldotna 7-6-6-6—25, Palmer 11-4-8-2—25; Saves: Soldotna- Kendrick 11-2-7-2—22, Palmer- Rauchenstein 6-5-5-5—21.

North Star Conference awards

Coach of the Year- Bill Sturdevant, Wasilla.

Player of the Year- Brad Duwe, Soldotna.

First team:

Zach Richards, Palmer; Brad Duwe, Soldotna; Jade Johnston, Wasilla; Michael Hanson, Palmer; Dylan Troisi, Wasilla; Andrew Ferguson, Palmer; Daniel Markstrom, Soldotna; Jared Hanson, Palmer; Chris Yaskus, Wasilla; Dylan Danielowksi, Palmer; Ryan Garske, Soldotna.

Second team

Brandon Fisher, Soldotna; Brady Quinn, Homer; Lance Nezaticky, Colony; Matt Barrett, Kenai; Trent Wohlers, Wasilla; David Buckley, Homer; Shawn Endsley, Soldotna; Cameron Borchevik, Kenai; Forrest Savel, Colony; Bobby Myles, Kenai.