All-4-one for Moose

WASILLA — Sometimes skating with only four players isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Palmer scored a trio of 4-on-4 goals during a 4-1 win over the Kenai Central Kardinals in the third-place game of the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Hockey Tournament at the Menard Arena in Wasilla.

Four different players scored and the Moose featured a pair of blueliners with two points each, but it’s what led to some of those offensive opportunities that impressed Palmer head coach Brad Hanson.

“I thought our forecheking was good tonight,” Hanson said. “To me, that’s what stands out.”

Palmer used its forecheck to not only create offensive opportunities, but limit Kenai’s chances in the Moose defensive zone.

“It’s hard to get in rhythm when you can’t get the puck out,” Hanson said.

The Moose limited the Kards to single-digit shots in each period and just one goal, a Morgan Cunnigham score late in the first period.

Palmer took an early lead when Piers LaFrance snuck a puck under the crossbar at the 12:11 mark of the first period. Defenseman Brennan Harrison gave the Moose the two-goal lead with a slap shot from the left wing circle.

Another blueliner, Trey Garrod, scored for the Moose early in the second. With the teams skating 4-on-4, Garrod stepped up from his spot on the blue line, took an Ivan Good pass and sent a wrist shot from between the circles into the back of the net.

Harrison helped set up Palmer’s fourth goal, a Dalton Buness deflection of a shot from the point.

Palmer’s blueliners supplied offense throughout the weekend. Harrison scored the game-winner during 1-0 win over East Anchorage in the first round. Nick Reeves slapped a shot in from the point during a semifinal loss to Lathrop.

Harrison and Garrod had a goal and an assist each during the win over Kenai. The Palmer defense also helped the Moose give up one goal or less in two of the three tournament games. Hanson said the Moose coaching staff likes the group of defensemen Palmer has, but also credited the forwards for their work at both ends of the ice.

Freshman Ashton Good made 24 saves in the Moose net during the win. Kenai goalie Keegan Remsen made 35 saves.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com. Follow him at Twitter at twitter.com/matsu_sports.

Palmer 4, Kenai 1

Menard third-place game

Menard Arena

First period — 1. Palmer- LaFrance (I. Good) 12:11; 2. Palmer- Harrison (J. Reeves, Garrod) 5:49; 3. Kenai- Cunningham (Waggoner) 1:24.

Second period — 4. Palmer- Garrod (I. Good, George) 7:48; 5. Palmer- Buness (Harrison) 6:53.

Third period — no scoring.

Shots on goal: Kenai 8-8-9—25, Palmer 14-13-12—39; Saves: Kenai- Remsen 12-11-12—35, Palmer- A. Good 7-8-9—24.