Moose, Warriors skate to wild tie in Wasilla

WASILLA — A dozen goals, 78 total shots and a wild night in Wasilla.

Palmer scored three power play goals during the final five minutes of regulation and Moose goalie Cale Winder stopped 11 Wasilla shots during the extra period during a 6-6 overtime tie Saturday night at the Brett Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla.

“The kids did really play good,” Palmer head coach Dean Wilson said. “They didn’t quit. That’s the No. 1 thing.”

Palmer scored four times on the power play as the Moose rallied to force extra time. The Warriors led until Darien Wilson netted the game-tying goal with 2:58 left in the third. Wilson’s goal was Palmer’s third with the advantage in less than a two-minute span. With the Moose trailing 6-3 late in the third, and Palmer on an odd-man rush, Noah Keil took an Easton Armstrong pass from the left and scored from the right wing circle. That cut Wasilla’s lead to 6-4.

Wilson said after that goal, he said Palmer’s confidence grown. The Palmer coaching staff continued to run two different play units as the Moose tried to wear Wasilla down.

Thirty-eight seconds later, Palmer captain Ethan Welch scored another power play goal to bring the Moose within a score.

Late in the period, as Palmer skated with the 5-on-3 advantage, Wilson scored to tie the game at 6.

The rivals were scoreless during the eight-minute overtime. Wasilla outshot Palmer 11-4 during the extra frame.

“Our goaltender Cale came through.” Wilson said.

Wasilla scored all six of its goals during the first two periods. Senior Wyatt Moore gave Wasilla the 1-0 lead with a shot from the left period early in the first. Three minutes later, Zach Roush buried a breakaway to give Wasilla the two-goal advantage. Roush scored his second goal of the game, early in the second, an unassisted tally. Alex Engan followed with two goals in the second period for the Warriors.

Engan’s first goal came after Porter Schachle blasted an attempt off the back boards. The puck bounced to Engan who found an empty section of the Palmer net. Engan scored another goal off a rebound of a Schachle shot.

Late in the second, Chase Schachle managed to find the back of the net, despite being leveled as he threw in the puck from the top of the right wing circle.

Holden Wiltfong and Porter Schachle had two assists each in the game.

RJ Avezac gave Palmer its first goal of the game, slicing Wasilla’s 2-0 lead in half at the 4:49 mark of the first. David Scully capitalized on a 3-on-2 rush for the Moose with 4:29 left in the second. Keil added the first of his two power play goals late in the second period.

Wasilla outshot Palmer 49-29 in the tie. Winder made 43 saves. Sean Carney stopped 23 shots for Wasilla.

The game was one of a pair of North Star Conference contests that went to overtime during the final day of the regular season. The Wasilla-Palmer game had no implications on the final regular season standings, and the seeding for the NSC Championships, which starts Thursday in Soldotna. But the Kenai-Soldotna game did.

Kenai used a 6-5 overtime win over the Stars to clinch the No. 5 seed in the conference. Wasilla (6-3-1), the No. 3 seed, will now open against Soldotna (1-9-0), the No. 6 seed, in the NSC quarterfinals Thursday. Palmer (3-6-1), the No. 4 seed, faces fifth-seed Kenai (2-8-0) in the first round.

Top-seeded Colony (9-1-0) and second-seeded Homer (8-2-0) earned first-round byes in the tournament, which continues through Saturday.

The full schedule, with game times, is expected to be released Monday.

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

Wasilla 6, Palmer 6 OT

Saturday, Brett Arena

First period — 1. Wasilla- Moore (Wiltfong, Larson) 9:21; 2. Wasilla- Roush (Wiltfong) 6:33; 3. Palmer- Avezac (Moore) 4:49.

Second period — 4. Wasilla- Roush (unassisted) 11:39; 5. Wasilla- Engan (P. Schachle, Masterson) 6:39; 6. Palmer- Scully (Appell, Wilson) 4:29; 7. Palmer- Keil (Scully, Thiesen) pp 2:49; 8. Wasilla- Engan (P. Schachle) 2:02; 9. Wasilla- C. Schachle (unassisted) 1:38.

Third period — 10. Palmer- Keil (Armstrong) pp 4:47; 11. Palmer- Welch (Avezac, Scully) pp 4:09; 12. Palmer- Wilson (Scully, Keil) pp 2:58.

Overtime — no scoring.

Shots on goal: Palmer 9-9-7-4—29, Wasilla 10-16-12-11—49; Saves: Palmer- Winder 8-12-12-11—43, Wasilla- S. Carney 8-7-4-4—23.