Aggressive play leads Warriors into state consolation final

WASILLA — After a disappointing loss to South Anchorage in the first round of the ASAA First National Cup 4A state hockey tournament on Thursday, the Wasilla Warriors knew they had two options when they hit the ice against the West Valley Wolfpack on Friday morning.

The Warriors could either bring a brand of physical and aggressive hockey to the rink, or they could put away their gear and call it the end of the 2007-08 season.

Wasilla chose the first option.

With spirited, strong and savvy play, the Warriors stormed to a 7-3 consolation semifinal win and sent West Valley packin’.

“We knew we couldn’t lose,” said Wasilla senior Dane Wilson, who was awarded player of the game honors after netting the hat trick in the win.

Led by Wilson’s work around the net, the Warriors erupted for seven goals in the final two periods. The assaulting Warrior offense peppered the West Valley net with 38 attempts, and Wasilla out-shot the Mid-Alaska Conference runners-up 30-9 in the final two periods.

West Valley managed a mere two shots in the final 15 minutes of play.

After a scoreless and evenly-matched first period, Wasilla senior captain Adam Friese said the Warriors knew they had to own the momentum in the second.

“After that first period, it was a really close game. Then we came out and started flying,” said Friese, who scored a goal in the win. “We knew we couldn’t let whatever happened (Thursday) night get in the way.”

Wasilla played even with the three-time defending state champion Wolverines for much of the first period on Thursday, only allowing a goal with 27 seconds remaining. And that came courtesy of a controversial penalty shot. And then in the second the Wolverines scored twice in less than two minutes, midway through the period to take control of the momentum.

But on Friday, it was Wasilla with the control.

Wilson popped in a rebound with 12 minutes and 31 seconds left to give Wasilla the one-goal advantage, the first of four Warrior goals in the period.

The barrage of goals and the lopsided margin in shots can be credited to Wasilla’s aggressive play, and when aggressive the Warriors feel they’re at their best.

“Without a doubt,” Friese said. “when we have that edge, that sense of urgency.”

Wasilla head coach Bill Sturdevant quickly agreed.

“I think if we sit back too much, we get to be a little bit timid and play too reserved. And it bites us,” Sturdevant said. “The makeup of our team, when we’re aggressive and working hard, it’s when we do our best.”

Junior Levi Johnston gave the Warriors a 2-0 lead midway through the second, and Wilson scored shorthanded with 4 minutes left.

Late in the second, sophomore Matthew Friese gave the Warriors a 4-2 advantage with undoubtedly one of the most unbelievable individual efforts of the three-day state tournament.

After picking up a pass from defenseman Ben Barber, Matthew Friese — skating toward the Wolfpack net on the ever-so difficult 1-on-2 rush — broke through West Valley’s collapsing defensive pair. Somehow the sophomore managed to use a little nifty stick work to hold onto the puck while he powered through the opposing blueliners, and slip the puck below the glove of West Valley netminder Cacy Wilfer.

In the third period, Adam Friese, Wilson and Brian Turner all scored for Wasilla.

With Wilson’s hat trick and Johnston’s goal, four of Wasilla’s seven scores came courtesy of the Warriors’ second line. The third part of the unit, senior Joe Barkley, recorded three assists in the win.

But that put is not exactly freak for the line. Wilson, Johnston and Barkley combined for 34 goals and 54 assists during the regular season.

“It’s huge, very huge,” said Adam Friese, the anchor of Wasilla’s top line and the Warriors’ leading scorer with 20 goals and 26 assists during the regular season. “A lot of teams have the first line that does the scoring and the second line that’s aggressive. But we have two lines that cane easily put the puck in the net, and a third line too.”

Wilson said the secret to the second line’s success has been chemistry and aggressive play.

“We have really good chemistry. We get shots on the net and crash,” Wilson said. “crashing on net to get those rebounds.”

Wasilla kept heavy traffic in front of the West Valley net, and often owned that area.

“We’ve been talking about it all year, getting the shots on net even if they’re from a poor angle,” Sturdevant said. “Dane, he got that one shorthanded goal with a nice pass from Matthew (Friese). But everything else, he got off rebounds.”

Wasilla capped its season with a fourth-place finish, thanks to a 2-0 win over the Lathrop on Saturday morning. See the full story on Page C1.

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

Wasilla 7, West Valley 3

Friday, Menard Memorial Arena

West Valley 0-2-1—3

Wasilla 0-4-3—7

First period — no scoring.

Second period — 1. Wasilla- Wilson (Barkley, Johnston) 12:31; 2. Wasilla- Johnston (Barkley) 8:12; 3. West Valley- Swanson (Blankenship, Stoltzberg) pp 5:25; 4. Wasilla- Wilson (M. Friese) sh 4:16; 5. West Valley- Henne (Swanson) 2:56; 6. Wasilla- M. Friese (Barber) 2:01.

Third period — 7. Wasilla- A. Friese (Barber, Troisi) 13:47; 8. Wasilla- Wilson (Troisi, Barkley) 13:45; 9. West Valley- Henne (McGee) 12:50; 10. Wasilla- Turner (Barber) 5:33.

Shots on goal: West Valley 9-7-2—18, Wasilla 8-16-14—38; Saves: West Valley- Wilfer 8-12-2—22, Lydon x-x-9—9; Power plays: West Valley 1-for-6, Wasilla 0-for-8; Penalties: West Valley 12-for-32, Wasilla 10-for-20.