Moose score OT win over Kenai

PALMER — Early in overtime, Palmer senior Noah Keil broke free, cruised down the ice and snapped a shot just above the crossbar of the Kenai net. But that would not be Palmer’s only opportunity during extra time.

Fellow senior David Scully had another breakaway midway through the period. The Palmer forward beat a pair of defenders and buried the puck high in the Kenai net with 4:29 left to give the Moose a 5-4 overtime victory over the Kardinals Friday night at the MTA Events Center in Palmer.

“That was pretty good for these guys. They were working hard,” Palmer head coach Dean Wilson said of the opportunities in overtime after the win. “The players we had out there, they already had a long game. They were getting a lot of ice time.”

Scully’s goal, his second of the game, helped Palmer overcome Kenai’s four-goal second period, and allowed the Moose to improve to 3-4-0 in North Star Conference play.

“The kids had a good game,” Wilson said.

Palmer played for the second straight night after about a three-week holiday break. Not only were the Moose working to knock some rust off, Wilson said a number of players are hitting the ice with new roles.

“We made a lot of switches. Half of the team is in new positions,” Wilson said.

Wilson said Palmer has moved some forwards to the back line, and they’re adjusting. Wilson said that factored into Kenai’s big second period.

“It took them a while to settle in with that,” Wilson said.

Kenai’s strengths also showed during the second.

“Kenai’s a pretty good team. They’ve got some hard hitters, and some speed,” Wilson said.

Wilson said Kenai was able to take advantage of some things in the middle frame.

Palmer built a 3-0 lead, outshooting the Kards 10-3 in the first period. But Kenai stormed back. Early in the second, Matt Hagel scored to put Kenai on the scoreboard. Less than three minutes later, Nate Beiser scored on a breakaway to cut Palmer’s lead to 3-2. Levi Mese tied the score at 3, after beating a pair of defenders and firing a shot from top of the right wing circle.

Darian Wilson put Palmer back on top with a shorthanded goal late in the second period. Scully created a turnover in the Kenai defensive zone. After a quick pass from Scully, Wilson was left one-on-one with Kenai goalie Joshua Tree, and lifted the puck into the net to give Palmer the 4-3 advantage.

But that lead lasted only 23 seconds.

With Kenai still on the power play, Jake O’Brien grabbed the puck in his own zone, raced up the right side of the ice and ripped a shot from the outside edge of the right wing circle into the far side of the Palmer net. That tied the score at 4.

Kenai collected 21 of its 28 total shots in the second period. Palmer held Kenai to only four shots in the third and zero in overtime.

“Third period, we started to come alive,” Wilson said.

Nathan Hooks, Keil and Scully each scored in the first period to give the Moose the early lead. Ethan Welch helped create Palmer’s first goal, firing a shot from the right point. The puck deflected off the sticks of both Wilson and Hooks before bouncing into the net. Keil scored five-hole and the power play with about five minutes left in the first. Scully tucked a shot just inside the post from the left wing circle later in the first to give Palmer the 3-0 lead.

The Moose were also able to bounce back from a 3-1 loss to Soldotna, with the win.

“It was good to get a win after last night’s loss,” Wilson said.

Palmer caps its weekend, hosting Homer Saturday at noon.

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

Palmer 5, Kenai Central 4 OT

Friday, MTA Events Center

First period — 1. Palmer- Hooks (Wilson, Welch) 7:09; 2. Palmer- Keil (Avezac) 5:01; 3. Palmer- Scully (Hooks) 1:00.

Second period — 4. Kenai- Hagel (Beiser) 13:56; 5. Kenai- Beiser (O’Brien) 10:55; 6. Kenai- Mese (O’Brien, Every) 9:09; 7. Palmer- Wilson (Scully) sh 1:41; 8. Kenai- O’Brien (Hagel) pp 1:18.

Third period — no scoring.

Overtime — 9. Palmer- Scully (unassisted) 4:29.

Shots on goal: Kenai 3-21-4-0—28, Palmer- 10-5-7-2—24; Saves: Kenai- Tree 7-4-7-1—19, Palmer- O’Rourke 3-17-4-0—24.

Soldotna 3, Palmer 1

Thursday, MTA Events Center

First period — 1. Soldotna- Walton (Haakenson, Urban) 7:53; 2. Soldotna- J. Montague (Powell, Brantley III) 0:46; 3. Palmer- Keil (Wilson, Appell) 0:37.

Second period — 4. Soldotna- Medcoff (A. Montague, Brantley III) 9:41.

Shots on goal: Soldotna 15-9-6—30, Palmer 7-6-8—21; Saves: Soldotna- Wirz 6-6-8—20, Palmer- O’Rourke 13-8-6—27.