Moose rally, T-Birds hold on for win

PALMER — Palmer enjoyed a monster third period and blasted a barrage of pucks on the East Anchorage net, but netminder Lane Fox helped the Thunderbirds hold on for a 5-4 nonconference win over the Moose Tuesday at the MTA Events Center in Palmer.

Fox made 52 saves to help East survive Palmer’s four-goal third period.

“We ran into a veteran goaltender,” Palmer assistant coach Steve MacSwain said of Fox. “He had a heck of a game.”

Palmer outshot East 56-18 in the loss. Fox made a combined 37 saves in the first two periods, and added 15 stops in the third. MacSwain said Fox was a difference-maker for the T-Birds, but is happy about the pressure Palmer was able to put on the East net.

“Getting that amount of shots, that’s a positive,” MacSwain said.

MacSwain said he was also happy to see the Moose rally from 2-0 and 4-2 deficits. East led by a pair with just more than six minutes left in regulation.

“To go right down to the very end, keep battling, you always tip your hat to that,” MacSwain said. “We are a young team. We have lots of work to do. But they want to work hard. I’m proud of them for make a comeback, make it a game. It was entertaining.”

Peyton Weaver scored his first career goal, veteran RJ Avezac added another, and Darian Wilson scored twice in the final 92 seconds of regulation for the Moose. Ethan Welch led Palmer with a pair of helpers in the loss.

Wilson’s first goal cut East’s lead to 4-3, but the T-Birds were able to extend their lead again with an empty net goal at the 1:15 mark. Wilson scored again during the final seconds to cut it back to a one-goal game.

Overall, MacSwain said he saw improvement from a young Moose team that started the season with an 11-0 loss to South Anchorage last week.

“We saw some real good positives. They seem to want to learn, want to get better,” MacSwain said.

Matias Miller bagged a hat trick in the East win. Nicholas Eddins finished with three assists.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

East Anchorage 5, Palmer 4

Tuesday, MTA Events Center

First period — 1. East- Outwater (Eddins) 9:31.

Second period — 2. East- Miller (Eddins, Wyatt) 3:56.

Third period — 3. Palmer- Weaver (Welch) 14:06; 4. Palmer- Avezac (Nelius) 13:02; 5. East- Miller (Wyatt, Eddins) 9:16; 6. East- Miller (Ament) 9:16; 7. Palmer- Wilson (Moore, Keil) 1:32; 8. East- Solberg (unassisted) en 6:07; 9. Palmer- Wilson (Theisen, Welch) 0:05.

Shots on goal: East 9-2-7—18, Palmer 11-26-19—56; Saves: East- Fox 11-26-15—52; Palmer- O’Rourke 8-1-4—13.