Moose move forward at Menard

WASILLA — The Palmer Moose withstood the East Anchorage Thunderbirds 1-0 Thursday in the first round of the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Hockey Tournament at the Menard Arena.

In a highly defensive match, Palmer junior Brennan Harrison’s third-period goal with 3:45 remaining was the difference when the final horn went off.

Both teams had game plans focused around their defenses, and the most important players in those defenses were the goalies. Palmer freshman Ashton Good recorded a perfect night, saving 27 shots in the shutout, while East Anchorage goaltender Justin Luiten made 20 of 21 saves.

With his shutout, Good helped the Moose move forward to play Lathrop in the Menard semifinals.

It became apparent early in the first period that the game would be a fight just for shots on goal. The puck rarely made any threatening movements toward either net. Any puck that did make its way toward a net fell harmlessly into the pads of a goaltender. This became a recurring theme throughout the game.

Coming out of the locker room to start the second period, both teams attacked hard to try and score. Good recorded a number of acrobatic saves within the first minute of the second period to hold the Thunderbirds at a safe distance.

Palmer came out clawing, but the goalkeeper and the East defense wouldn’t budge.

“They’re a defensive-minded team, but we need to take advantage of our scoring opportunities. He’s a good keeper. He made some great saves,” said Palmer head coach Brad Hanson.

As the defenses were on top of their games, a sense of frustration started to show in both offenses. This brought some of the focus from the players to each other. As the time left in the game decreased, big hits on the ice increased.

Palmer went into the game short-handed with senior forward Stephen Acher out due to illness.

With about five minutes left in the third period, both teams were throwing the puck toward the net just about every time it came into possession with a dire sense of urgency. During a Palmer attack, Piers La France found a wide-open Brennan Harrison off a Miles George missed shot. Harrison found the top right corner of the net, scoring the game’s only goal.

Once the goal was scored, the character of the game changed completely. East sent everything it had at Palmer’s freshman keeper, but Palmer’s defense kept the Thunderbirds from tying the score.

With little more than a minute left, East launched its most dangerous attack, peppering staccato shots off rebounds on Good’s right side.

The puck squirted to the left side of the crease in the scramble, and Good made a diving glove save to virtually seal the game. In the fight for the puck, frustration from the game and physicality of both teams resulted in a small scuffle.

In the end, the brutal match between two even teams came down to Harrison’s top shelf goal late in the third.

“We’re working hard,” said Palmer junior captain Ivan Good after the win. “We’re coming together and playing well.”

Tim Rockey is a senior at Palmer High School who also writes for the Frontiersman’s Sports section.