Prep hockey: Goalie leads Warriors past Stars

SOLDOTNA — Wasilla overcame a case of bus lag to pull out a tight 2-1 win over Soldotna Thursday night at the Soldotna Sports Center.

“We’re lucky we got out of here with a win,” Wasilla coach Bill Sturdevant said.

Sturdevant said Wasilla left town at 8 a.m., then had trouble getting into their hotel rooms once they reached the Peninsula. The long trip, he said, may have slowed his team, which played sloppy throughout and were out shot 21-17 on the game.

“They even said so after the first period that their legs, they had nothing in them,” he said. “Fortunately for us, our goalie said he felt great.”

Indeed, Wasilla goaltender Jesse Hugli was the unquestioned star for the Warriors, making 20 saves including several clutch stops late in the game to preserve the win.

“He stood on his head,” Sturdevant said.

Joe Barkley’s tie-breaking goal with 8:15 left in the second period was the difference for the Warriors, which improved to 7-5 overall and 2-0 in North Star Conference play with the win.

Soldotna fell to 3-5 overall and 0-1 in the NLC.

Wasilla’s offense looked sluggish throughout, and the Warriors were forced to rely on the strength of Hugli to keep the Stars off the board.

Hugli’s biggest save of the game came with just over a minute left when Soldotna’s Clayton Glick broke in all alone through a crease in the Wasilla defense and barreled in on the Wasilla net. But Hugli didn’t flinch, stopping Glick’s wrist shot cold to quash Soldotna’s final good scoring chance of the game.

Following the game, Hugli said he simply wanted to stay focused against a Stars team that’s expected to challenge Wasilla for North Star supremacy this season.

“I came in prepared and ready to go,” Hugli said.

Wasilla got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead when Dane Wilson used a nifty, no-look backhanded flip to beat Soldotna goalie Mike McGrath less than five minutes into the game.

The Stars tied things up in the second period with a power-play goal by Glick that came on Soldotna’s third power-play opportunity of the night.

Soldotna then appeared to go ahead on Glick’s second goal of the game, but his breakaway goal was disallowed when officials ruled the puck bounced off the side of the netting instead of getting past Hugli. After several minutes of discussion from both the Wasilla and Soldotna coaching staffs, the goal was not allowed to stand.

Stars coach Kyle Howell said he didn’t blame the loss on the controversial play.

“We were right there,” Howell said. “These guys are supposed to be the number one team in the region, and I thought we hung with them.”

Howell was more upset with his team’s work on the power play. Wasilla committed eight penalties on the night (compared to just two by Soldotna), but the Stars were frequently frustrated by Wasilla’s defense and Hugli’s quick reflexes.

“Our power play struggled a little bit tonight,” he said.

Soldotna’s best chance with the man advantage came during the final five minutes of the second period, when the Stars had consecutive power plays thwarted by several clutch saves by the Wasilla net minder.

Hugli made 11 saves on 12 shots in the period, most coming during the final flurry to end the period.

“I didn’t have time to think,” he said. “I was just doing what I could to make sure the puck didn’t get in the net.”

Despite having to rely heavily on his goaltender to carry the team, Sturdevant said he was happy to get a win against Soldotna, a team he expects to present a strong challenge for the NLC title this season.

“SoHi is a really strong team. I certainly expect them to go far.”

WARRIORS 2, STARS 1

Thursday, Soldotna Sports Center

Wasilla 1-1-0—2

Soldotna 0-1-0—1

First period – 1. Wasilla- Wilson (Barkley, Johnston), 3:21.

Second period – 2. Soldotna- Glick (Markstrom), pp, 2:04; 3. Wasilla- Barlkey (Wilson), 6:45.

Third period – none.

Shots: Wasilla 7-6-4 – 17, Soldotna 6-12-3 – 21.

Saves: Wasilla- Hugli 6-11-3 – 20, Soldotna- McGrath 6-5-4 – 15. Penalties: Wasilla 8 for 16:00; Soldotna 2 for 2:00.