Prep hockey: Moose blank Knights

Dec. 3, 2006

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

PALMER - Palmer's &#8220Mr. Magoo” had no trouble seeing the puck Friday night, turning back every Colony shot he faced to earn a shutout in Palmer's 5-0 win at the Palmer Ice Arena.

Jimmy Isaacs, who picked up his nickname because he's worn glasses since his days in youth hockey, made 18 saves on the night as Palmer pushed its record to 7-2 against the winless Knights.

&#8220He used to only play the puck when it was right in front of him,” Isaacs' father, Ike, said following the game. &#8220I said, ‘Jimmy, what's wrong?' He said he couldn't see, so I went and got him glasses. It made a whole lot of difference.”

Michael Hanson scored four of Palmer's goals to help the Moose turn a close, physical game against their crosstown rivals into a rout with three third period goals.

&#8220This is a rivalry,” Palmer coach Dino Pagano said. &#8220Both teams wanted this game bad.”

The play of Isaacs and Hanson was key to Palmer's victory, and the duo even hooked up for the first Moose goal of the game.

Late in the opening period, Issacs made a perfect pass to Hanson at the blue line as the Knights tried to switch lines behind the play. Hanson took two quick strides into the Colony zone and threw a perfect wrist shot over the right shoulder of Colony goalie Joe Nyberg.

It was the first assist of the season for Isaacs, although he said after the game that passing and puckhandling are two of his biggest strengths.

&#8220I try to do that every game, catch the other team on the change,” Issacs said.

The goal came while the Moose were on the power play, a theme that would continue throughout the evening. Colony was whistled for 13 penalties on the game, and Palmer capitalized, getting four of their five goals with a man advantage.

&#8220Probably half the goals we've given up this season have been on the power play,” Colony coach Dale Mattson said following the game.

Mattson said the fact that the Knights were facing Palmer may have led to his team's frequent trips to the box.

&#8220The kids were pretty fired up about this game,” Mattson said.

Hanson picked up his second goal at the end of the second period. The Palmer forward took a perfect pass from Andrew Ferguson, put a nice move on a Colony defender to get open in front of the net, then fired the puck past Nyberg to give the Moose a 2-0 lead after two periods.

Hanson completed his hat trick with a nice wraparound move in the third period. Zack Richards and Dylan Danielowski assisted on the play.

Tyson Alger got into the scoring column later in the period with a shot through traffic that caught Nyberg off guard. Less than a minute later, Hanson finished the scoring with an unassisted goal to give the Moose their final margin of victory.

The win continues a dream season that has seen the Moose - who have struggled mightily in past years - move from region doormat to a contender in the North Star Conference. And as they pick up victories, Pagano said his team continues to gain confidence in their abilities.

&#8220The success rate and morale is a motivating factor,” Pagano said. &#8220And this team just draws on that.”

Contact Frontiersman reporter Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com