Division I state hockey: Wolves power past Warriors, Valley 0-3 in first round

WASILLA — The Eagle River Wolves survived a wild third period and are moving forward in the Division I state hockey tournament.

Eagle River used three power play goals during the final frame to grab a 5-4 win over Wasilla in the final game of the first day of the ASAA First National Cup Thursday at the Menard Arena in Wasilla.

Eagle River grabbed the first two-goal lead for either team with 2:25 left in regulation. But that lasted only 13 seconds. Wolves captain Logan Dudinsky used his third goal of the game to give his squad the 5-3 advantage. But right after the ensuing faceoff, Wasilla’s Troy Randall knocked in a lose puck to pull the Warriors back within a score.

Wasilla pulled goaltender Aaron Campbell multiple times late in regulation, including once with the faceoff in their own zone with 21 seconds left, but were not able to notch the equalizer.

With the win, Eagle River skates forward to face top-seeded South Anchorage in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Wasilla will face Valley rival Palmer in an elimination game Friday at noon.

Wasilla took a quick lead in the game, with McKinley Larson poking a puck past Eagle River’s Ryan Gray just 25 seconds into regulation. Eagle River led 2-1 after the first, but Zach Roush tied the game late in the second. Dillon Matson pulled a buck off the back boards, and centered a pass to Roush, who beat Gray.

Eagle River used a similar play and a Sklyer Johnson goal to take a 3-2 lead 38 seconds into the third. Langston Bouma used a power play goal to tie the score at 3.

Dudinsky notched two of his three goals during an eight-minute stretch of the third. Both came on the power play. Dudinsky’s shot from the point factored into four of Eagle River’s five goals in the win. Dudinsky used a big rip from the point to score midway through the first and at the 10:37 and 2:25 marks of the third. Another shot led to a Christian Brooks goal off a rebound in the first period.

Eagle River outshot Wasilla 29-21. Gray made 17 saves in the win, while Campbell stopped 24 shots in the loss.

Wasilla, the fifth seeded, was the highest seeded non-Cook Inlet Conference team in the bracket. Eagle River was seeded fourth.

Service 6, Colony 1

Service skated to a 6-1 quarterfinal win over the Knights. Brett Ewing scored a late Colony goal to spoil Service’s shutout bid. Roman Shepard made 21 saves for the Knights, the No. 6 seed in the bracket.

Colony will play West Anchorage, which suffered a 3-2 loss to defending state champion Dimond in the quarterfinals, Friday at 2:30 p.m. in an elimination game.

South Anchorage 10, Palmer 0

Top-seeded South Anchorage scored a 10-0 win over Palmer, the lone Division II in the Division I bracket.

The Wolverines outshot Palmer 46-9 in the victory. Hayden Fox and Ryan Bailey scored two goals each for South. Palmer, the eighth seed, earned its spot in the eight-team bracket by winning the Division II state tournament last weekend.

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