Moose storm into semifinals

Frontiersman

WASILLA — Illness has run rampant through the Palmer hockey locker room.

The Moose have been sick and tired.

But on Thursday, the Palmer Moose proved they are also sick and tired of being seen as somewhat of an afterthought in Alaska high school hockey.

Led the stellar goaltending of junior Jonas Naegele and a Zach Richards hat trick, Palmer posted a 4-0 upset victory over the West Anchorage Eagles, and notch the program’s biggest win in state tourney play since the Moose captured the 1989 state title.

“All week, the coaches have been saying we can beat these guys — we just got to play them right,” Richards, Palmer’s senior captain, said after the win. “We played them right, and it’s definitely a great feeling to come and get a first-round win.”

Palmer, a team skating in its first state tourney since 1996, now moves on to meet Lathrop in the semifinals tonight at 8 p.m. at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla.

While Naegele’s 25-save shutout and Richards’ three goals stand out most on the scoresheet, Palmer head coach Brad Hanson applauded the work of the entire Moose squad.

“It was a total team effort,” Hanson said. “You can single out two guys who were really extraordinary tonight, but everybody did what we needed them to do. Everybody worked their tail off.”

Naegele stopped 21 of his 25 shots during the first 30 minutes of play, and stopped a barrage of pucks fired from close range.

Midway through the first period, Naegele stopped consecutive shots by West’s Cory Coles and Cooper Street, both of which came from just beyond the crease.

Just moments later, Naegele stopped an Adam Manzer attempt while flat on his butt.

In the final minutes, he stoned a West odd-man rush that was capped by a point-blank shot from Casey Bailey.

“He was standing on his head for us,” Richards said. “He played phenomenal. When he’s on, he’s definitely on.”

After the win, Naegele said the victory was among the top moments in his career, but he was also quick to share the glory.

“My defense did all the work for me,” Naegele said.

That was especially true in a third period in which Palmer held West to only four shots on goal. The Palmer defense — led by senior Andrew Ferguson and sophomore Nick Reeves — consistently closed off passing lanes, cleared pucks and kept the Eagles from getting good looks on the Palmer net.

While Naegele and the Palmer blueliners kept West off the scoreboard, Richards and senior Michael Hanson provided the offense for the Moose.

Michael Hanson gave Palmer the early lead, scoring on the power play just 1 minute and 31 seconds into regulation.

Palmer needed just 14 seconds to cash in on its first power play of the contest. Reeves pushed the puck to Hanson from the point and the senior forward put a sharp shot into the upper shelf of the West net to give the Moose the 1-0 lead.

After skating through much of the first two periods with the one-goal lead, Richards posted the first of his three scores with 48 seconds left in the second.

As play hit the final minute of the period, Richards led a 2-on-1 down the ice. Rather than pushing the puck over to teammate Jared Hanson, Richards kept the puck and fired into the far side of the net.

Richards completed his hat trick late in the third, scoring a pair of goals during the final three minutes of the game.

The small, but swift, skater gave Palmer the 3-0 lead when he raced to pick up a lose puck, and sent a hard shot into the far side of the net from the left circle.

Richards capped the scoring by chipping an arcing shot into an empty net with 1:04 remaining.

Palmer entered the contest as the No. 2 seed from the North Star Conference and a squad that had not seen state tournament action in 13 years. Brad Hanson said his team was more than just happy to be in the tourney, the Moose wanted to move forward.

“I didn’t sense any type of, we we’re the underdog,” Hanson said. “We didn’t have anything to fear. We were just going to try to execute what we wanted to do and go out and try to win a hockey game.”

Now Palmer sits just one win away from exactly where the Moose were 20 years ago — in the state championship.

“It feels really good to be a part of,” Naegele said.

Palmer has seen Lathrop once before. The Malemutes edged the Moose 3-1 in January.

“We lost to them early, but we just beat the No. 2 team in Anchorage,” Richards said. “So why not Lathrop?”

Palmer 4, West Anchorage 0

4A state quarterfinals

Thursday, Menard Arena

First period — 1. Palmer- M. Hanson (Reeves) pp 13:29.

Second period — 2. Palmer- Richards (unassisted) 00:48.

Third period — 3. Palmer- Richards (Ferguson, M. Hanson) 3:01, 4. Palmer- Richards (unassisted) en 1:04.

Shots on goal: West 12-9-4—25, Palmer 9-6-6—21; Saves: West- Mendenhall 8-5-4—17, Palmer- Naegele 12-9-4—25.