Former Av bound for USHL

PALMER — Matthew Friese has had quite the year.

The former Wasilla High School hockey player emerged as a blue chip talent in the North American Hockey League. He finished third in scoring with the Alaska Avalanche, posting 43 points during the 2009-10 season. He opted against his commitment to Division I Alaska Anchorage to jump back into the recruiting pool, testing the waters of the United States Hockey League.

And Friese managed to do all of this by the time he walked across the stage as a member of Wasilla High School’s class of 2010.

Now, after making all of those decisions, the 18-year-old feels relief knowing exactly where he’ll be when the puck drops in September.

Friese will be a member of the USHL’s Tri-City Storm.

“I love it,” Friese said after skating with his former Alaska Avalanche teammates last week at the Palmer Ice Arena. “It’s fun to be going somewhere — good team, good league — and know, that’s where I’m going.”

Following the 2009-10 NAHL season, Friese stood at a crossroad, debating which way to skate. But after Friese had success during Tri-City’s offseason summer camp, any questions about his immediate hockey future were answered.

Friese said after the camp, during exit interviews, the Tri-City coaches assured the 5-foot-10 forward there was a place for him on the team.

“(The coach) thought I had a good camp,” Friese said. “He said if I play with the same intensity I played with during the camp, I’ll fit right in.”

Friese has already had a taste of life in the Tier I USHL. Last year, during a brief stint with the Storm, Friese scored a goal in two games. While there is a difference in overall level of play between the Tier I USHL and the Tier II NAHL, the league he’s called home for the last two years, Friese said it’s not as big as some folks may like to believe.

“It’s smaller than people think,” Friese said. “A lot of people think the difference between the NA and the USHL is huge. I’ve played in both. The USHL is definitely faster, but the biggest difference is in the USHL there’s four solid lines.”

Friese took major steps during his second season with the Avalanche. After producing 4-4-8 totals in 34 games as a rookie, Friese exploded for 19 goals and 24 assists in 56 games. He was also a +14.

Friese will open the 2010-11 season as one of several Alaska players in the USHL. Zack Rall and Brandon Fisher, both of Anchorage, will also skate for the storm. Palmer’s Jared Hanson is returning to Lincoln to play for the Stars.

Friese hopes to be seen more by Division I scouts. That’s part of the reason Friese chose to try out for Tri-City, a team that selected him as part of the USHL’s 2008 Future’s Draft.

Friese originally committed to play hockey at UAA as a 17-year-old junior in high school. In early May, Friese decided to go another direction. Now, he’d love to land with a major program in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, but doesn’t want to rush into any decisions, unless it’s the right one.

“It all depends on the right college. If the right college came along and talked to me today, I wouldn’t have a problem committing,” Friese said. “But I’m not going to commit to somewhere I don’t want to go. I’m going to wait until I find the right one.”

Friese said it was nice to skate with his former Avalanche teammates before heading south, but he’s excited about the next challenge.

“I’ll miss all these guys. I had a blast the last two years. The coaches, players helped me a lot to get to the next level,” Friese said. “I’m going to miss them for sure, but I’m ready to get going.”

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