Keeper’s 49 saves nearly leads to upset

WASILLA — Wasilla may have won the game, but Houston goaltender Rhys Jones stole the show Friday afternoon as the Warriors and Hawks met up in the annual Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Hockey Tournament.

Although the box score reads Wasilla 4, Houston 2, the Hawks’ junior goaltender stonewalled an aggressive Wasilla offense while building a 2-0 lead the Hawks would hold well into the third period.

“I thought all the guys played really well, and I thought Rhys played outstanding,” said Houston head coach Mike Styers. “He was the difference in keeping us in it.”

Just how much of a difference was Jones, who transferred to Houston this year after spending the last two years in the Wasilla hockey program? He made several glove saves of strong Wasilla shots and stonewalled several more Warrior scoring chances.

Jones finished the game with 49 saves on 53 shots (although the last Wasilla goal was an empty-netter), while his counterpart, sophomore Lauren Massie, saw just 10 shots in the game.

That Jones played for Wasilla gave the goalie a little extra motivation, Styers said.

“Oh yeah, he wanted that game,” he said. “That’s where he transferred from last year and a lot of (his performance) was just that mentally he really wanted to do well against that team.”

Wasilla came into the game off a disappointing 3-1 loss to East Anchorage the night before, and that loss, combined with possibly overlooking Houston, may have contributed to the Warriors needing a late offensive flurry to sneak out with a win, Warriors head coach Bill Sturdevant said.

“We knew they would be ready for us and they had us on the ropes,” he said of the Houston effort. “They’re a good team and not a team anyone should take lightly.”

He also was impressed with the former Warrior in net for the Hawks.

“I definitely think a good goaltender will give any team a chance to win,” he said. “Rhys played phenomenal and definitely gave Houston a chance to win. They cashed in on a power play, then we went back on our heels (to give up another goal).”

Houston maintained a high level of intensity throughout the game. In the first period, the Hawks pressed the Warriors, but couldn’t take advantage of three power plays against a strong Wasilla penalty kill unit.

That seemed to carry over into the second period until Ahanu Kinney scored on a slap shot from the right point over Massie’s left shoulder. The power play goal put Houston up 1-0.

Houston would pad its lead to 2-0 at the 5:02 mark of the second when senior forward Lane Styers smoked a wrister from just inside the blue line into the upper right corner of the net.

“That was a pretty goal,” Sturdevant said. “That was a beautiful goal and the placement of it was perfect.”

Although the Hawks would hold a 2-0 lead through the first two periods, much of their time was spent in their own zone as Wasilla chipped away. That Warrior pressure finally paid off with 8:01 left to play when Tanner Schachle scored to put Wasilla on the board. The Warriors tied the game less than four minutes later on a goal by senior forward Brett Keene. Andrew Cooley would net the game-winner with a rocket slap shot, and Cooper Hanson would ice the cake by poking the puck into an empty Houston net with .1 second remaining.

Wasilla has shown this season it can score goals in bunches, which is something Houston was concerned about going into that final period, coach Styers said.

“A two-goal lead is the worst lead you can have in hockey,” he said. “Obviously, they’re down by a couple of goals there and we knew they were going to come out harder than ever. What hurt us probably more than that was we had Patric Thistle in the (penalty) box for 10 minutes.”

A junior forward, Thistle also is a key player in Houston’s ability to defend and move the puck, Styers said.

“He goes in the box and we’re up 2-0, but by the time he comes out, it’s 2-2 and the momentum has shifted,” he said.

While he would have liked to get a win over a Valley rival, Styers said he was pleased with what he saw from the Hawks on Friday.

“Overall, I was pleased,” he said. “I thought this was the best game we’ve played this year.”

Houston will have another shot at Wasilla wheb the Hawks host the Warriors at 7 p.m., Wednesday.

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.