Palmer freshman’s late goal forces tie; Moose finish weekend 2-0-1

PALMER — The Palmer Moose needed a mad scramble to answer a Soldotna surge.

Soldotna rallied with a pair of third-period goals, but Palmer scored during the final seconds of regulation during a 3-3 tie Friday night at the MTA Events Center in Palmer.

A pair of freshmen came up with the big goals late. Soldotna freshman Galen Brantley III scored with 3:06 left in the third to give the Stars the 3-2 lead, but Palmer freshman Jaron Ketterman knocked a loose puck in with seven seconds left to knot the game at 3.

“Right toward the end, they dug down deep,” Palmer head coach Dean Wilson said after the tie. “We had some questionable moments there in the last few minutes of the game, but they did good.’

Palmer outshot Soldotna 8-0 in the tiebreaker, but Soldotna senior goalie Billy Yoder made all eight stops to keep the game tied.

“We’ve got a pretty high-end goalie, but that goalie they’ve got, he’s good, very good,” Wilson said of Yoder. “You’re not going to get easy goals on him.”

Yoder and Palmer senior netminder Cody Grogan combined for 55 saves in the tie. Yoder made 30 saves, while Grogan finished with 25.

“It could be,” Wilson said of the potential of Yoder and Grogran standing as the top two netminders in the North Star Conference. “Cody wasn’t giving up very much. They’re not going to give you many opportunities.”

Ketterman’s game-tying goal came with the Moose playing with the extra attacker. After Palmer won the draw on the left side of the SoHi defensive zone, Moose forward RJ Avezac played the puck across the zone. Chase Rosenberg kept the possession alive, and Ketterman was able to poke the puck into the left side of the net.

Ketterman’s score answered SoHi’s late third-period surge. Trailing 2-1 with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Soldotna captain Ethan Brown scored to tie the game at 2. Less than two minutes later, SoHi’s Braxton Urban sent a pass up through the neutral zone. With a burst of speed, Brantley chased down the loose puck, beat a pair of defenseman and scored on a short breakaway to give the Stars their first lead of the day.

After the late Ketterman goal, Palmer was able to control play in overtime, but Yoder kept the game at 3.

“We didn’t give them anything in overtime. We just couldn’t sink the puck,” Wilson said.

After a scoreless first period, Ketterman, who posted a three-point night, scored early in the second to give the Moose their first lead. Garrett Ropka set up the play with a shot from the point, Ketterman sent a deflection past Yoder to put the Moose on the scoreboard.

Just about a minute later, SoHi scored in nearly identical fashion.

Soldotna senior Levi Hensley blasted a shot from the point, and Urban deflected the puck to tie the score at 1.

Late in the period, Rosenberg scored to give the Moose the 2-1 lead.

Palmer followed the tie with a 10-3 win over Kenai Central Saturday afternoon.

Ketterman scored four straight goals to lead the Moose. Luke Thiesen and Avezac added two goals each. David Scully and Rosenberg also scored.

Thursday, Grogan used a 23-save shutout to lead the Palmer Moose to a 7-0 NSC win over Homer Thursday at the MTA Events Center in Palmer.

Ketterman led Palmer with a hat trick. Senior Taylor Foster scored twice. Avezac and Rosenberg added goals for the Moose.

Following the weekend, Palmer is now 2-0-1 in North Star play.

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

Palmer 10, Kenai 3

Saturday, Brett Memorial Ice Arena

First period — 1. Kenai- Mese (O’Brien, Hagel); 2. Palmer- Avezac (Foster) 3:04; 3. Palmer- Scully (unassisted) 2:31.

Second period — 4. Kenai- Zorbas (Knutson, Beiser) 13:14; 5. Palmer- Thiesen (Avezac, Foster) 10:25; 6. Palmer- Rosenberg (E. Armstrong, Pierce) 5:31; 7. Palmer- Avezac (Thiesen, Scully) 2:11; 8. Palmer- Ketterman (Foster) 0:42.

Third period — 9. Palmer- Ketterman (unassisted) 14:21; 10. Palmer- Ketterman (Keil) 10:40; 11. Palmer- Ketterman (Rosenberg) 9:49; 12. Kenai- O’Brien (unassisted) 6:34; 13. Palmer- Thiesen (unassisted) 4:05.

Shots on goal: Kenai 6-5-5—16, Palmer 14-19-11—44; Saves: Kenai- Williams 12-15-7—34, Palmer- Winder 5-4-4—13.

Palmer 3, Soldotna 3

Friday, MTA Events Center

First period — no scoring.

Second period — 1. Palmer- Ketterman (Ropka) 10:43; 2. Soldotna- B. Urban (Hensley, Neunzert) 9:37; 3. Palmer- Rosenberg (Ketterman) 4:58.

Third period — 4. Soldotna- Brown (Witthus) 4:52; 5. Soldotna- Brantley (B. Urban) 3:06; 6. Palmer- Ketterman (Rosenberg) 0:07.

Shots on goal: Soldotna 11-7-10-0—28, Palmer 8-10-7-8—33; Saves: Soldotna- Yoder 8-8-6-8—30, Palmer- Grogan 11-6-8-0—25.

Palmer 7, Homer 0

Thursday, MTA Events Center

First period — 1. Palmer- Avezac (Foster, Scully) 2:45; 2. Palmer- Ketterman (Keil, Rosenberg) 1:09.

Second period — 3. Palmer- Foster (Avezac, Grogan) 1:56.

Third period — 4. Palmer- Rosenberg (Ketterman, Keil) 13:46; 5. Palmer- Ketterman (Rosenberg, Welch) 13:17; 6. Palmer- Foster (Avezac, Christiansen) 4:34; 7. Palmer- Ketterman (Keil) 3:08.

Shots on goal: Homer 9-7-7—23, Pamer 16-8-13—37; Saves: Homer Warren 14-7-9—30, Palmer- Grogan 9-7-7—23.