Houston earns 3-1 win in prep hockey opener

WASILLA -- Rick Morlock, Larry Kincaid and Wade Williams each figured heavily into the Houston Hawks state championship run last season and were each named All-Great Land Conference following the 2003-04 season.

And to nobody's surprise, Morlock, Kincaid and Williams are back at it again.

Each player scored to lead the Hawks to a 3-1 win over the Wasilla Warriors at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena on Saturday.

Williams, the 2003-04 Great Land Conference player of the year, notched a goal with 13 minutes left in the second period to give the Hawks a 3-0 lead and assisted on the first two goals of the game.

Williams assisted on a Morlock power play goal and a Kincaid shorthanded goal in the first period.

"Wade was huge," Houston head coach Jamie Smith said.

Williams' impact was not just felt on the offensive end. At one point the senior was on the ice for seven minutes, playing not only at his forward position, but on defense on the power play unit.

The Hawks, who could be thin this year compared to recent Houston teams according to Smith, finished the game with just three defensemen. Kaleb Westphall, possibly Houston's best blueliner, is out with mononucleosis, and Jason Hundley broke a skate during the game and was lost.

Houston was left with just the first-line pair of Emery Boehm and Nathan Englund and Smith moved Chad Lipse, a two-way player, from forward to defense during the game.

Morlock was also lost for 12 minutes in the third period after being called for a two-minute roughing call and a 10-minute misconduct.

Houston netminder Paul Sutton-Jones, another 2003-04 All-Great Land Conference selection, stopped 18 of 19 shots in the game.

Wasilla's lone goal, a Carl Brent shorthanded tally, came with just more than five minutes remaining in regulation.

Sutton-Jones faced just three shots in the first period and six in the third period. He faced 10 in the second, but could have faced much more action. Wasilla had the 5-on-3 advantage for nearly four minutes in the second period.

The game marked not only the first game of the season for the Hawks and Warriors, but the debut of prep hockey at the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex. An attendance of more than 1,400 was estimated and a pregame ceremony featured local dignitaries form the Valley.