Malemutes muscle past Warriors

JEREMIAH BARTZ/Sports Editor

WASILLA -- It was like two different Lathrop High School varsity hockey teams traveled to Wasilla last weekend. The two-headed Malemute monster showed their worst Thursday in a 4-1 loss to Colony, but showed why they have a 7-2 record in a 5-1 win over Wasilla on Saturday.

Penalty minutes, 52 to be exact, was the only significant statistic for Lathrop in its Thursday loss to the Knights, but Saturday the Malemutes outworked the Warriors in the four-goal nonconference win at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena.

"Really it was two different teams," Lathrop head coach Togi Letuligasenoa said. "That's what frustrates us as a coaching staff, it's night and day."

Lathrop scored twice in each of the final two periods and registered a pair of powerplay goals in the 5-1 win, but it was the Malemutes work on defense that proved to be the difference. The Malemutes limited the Warriors to just 16 shots on goal and very few quality scoring opportunites.

"We were working both sides of the puck, defensively, especially on the transitions, we had our forwards coming back hard through the middle, picking up guys, looking to pick up guys," Letuligasenoa said.

The elimination of Wasilla odd man rushes and Warrior trailers coming through the zone were also key to Lathrop's success, according to Letuligasenoa.

"Anytime a team works hard like that, it's going to be tough to get a good scoring opportunity," Letuligasenoa said.

When Wasilla had any of its few quality scoring opportunites, the Warriors were proved unlucky. Wasilla sophomore Spencer Galvin led a 3-on-2 break midway though the first period, wove through traffic and bounced the puck off the inside of the post. Just two minutes later, senior Andrew Tumbleson beat a Lathrop blueliner, made a move to beat Lathrop netminder Nick Barnes and pushed the puck off that same post. Late in the contest, junior James Elkins rang a hard shot off the post.

Lathrop's first line of Ian McGregor, Tanner Conlan and Damon Harshman combined for four of Lathrop's five goals. McGregor and Conlan each posted an even strength goal and power play tally.

Conlan gave Lathrop a 1-0 lead with a wrist shot with the Malemute 5-on-3 advantage early in the first period. Conlan took a pass from Harshman and scored late in the contest.

McGregor picked up a Wasilla turnover in the Warrior zone and beat Warrior goaltender Ronnie Walker late in the second period and picked up a goal with the man advantage in the third period.

Lowen Ewing also scored for Lathrop.

Tanner Dutcher scored Wasilla's lone goal, swatting in the puck while stretched out on the ice. Carl Brent put a shot on goal, and as Barnes got out of position, Dutcher -- lying stretched out on the left side of the net -- reached his stick and knocked the puck into the right side of the net.

Walker was peppered with shots consistantly in the contest. He faced double-digit shot counts in each period, and 20 in the third frame. Walker made 44 saves.

North Pole 4, Wasilla 3

The Warriors suffered a 4-3 overtime loss to the North Pole Patrioits in a nonconfernce contest at the Menard Rink on Thursday.

Track Palin scored for Wasiilla with just less than six minutes remaining in regulation to give Wasilla the 3-2 lead, but North Pole forward Jonathon Feavel scored a pair of unanswered goals to give the Patriots the win.

Feaveel notched an unassisted tally with 2:48 left in the third period to tie the game, and posted the game winner 51 seconds into overtime.

Walker recorded 24 saves in the loss.

The Warriors are now 2-6 overall.

Colony 5, North Pole 4

Ryan Pauling scored with just 99 seconds left in overtime to give the Colony Knights a 5-4 win over North Pole in nonconference hockey action at the Menard Arena on Friday.

Pauling, who notched a hat trick in the contest, was assisted by Teemu Maki and Alex Lund on the play.

Maki, on a play assisted by Pauling, scored with 89 seconds left in regulation to give Colony a 4-3 lead, but North Pole forward Jonathon Feavel posted a 6-on-4 powerplay goal with 50 seconds left to tie the game.

Colony out shot North Pole 40-17 in the game.

Palmer drops pair

The Palmer Moose dropped to 2-6-0 overall with a pair of nonconfernece losses. Lathrop defeated Palmer 15-0 on Friday, while North Pole topped the Moose 7-1 on Saturday.