Prep hockey: Moose spoil Hawks' 4A debut

WASILLA — Houston got a rude welcome to class 4A hockey Friday, falling 7-2 to the Palmer Moose at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla.

Palmer defenseman Jeremy Wright picked up a hat trick, and brothers Michael and Jared Hanson combined for seven points as the Moose won the season-opener for both teams.

“I was really happy with the way they played tonight,” first-year Palmer head coach Brad Hanson said following the win.

The game marked both Hanson’s first game as a head coach as well as Houston’s first regular season contest at the 4A level after dominating the 3A level for the past decade.

Early on, it looked like the Hawks were going to be just fine, as Houston controlled much of the first five minutes of play.

”I thought we started a little slow,” Hanson said.

But it was Palmer that drew first blood after Zack Richards and Jared Hanson converted a nifty 2-on-1 shortly after the Moose killed a Houston power play. Richards carried the puck into the Houston zone, drew the lone defender and flipped the puck to Hanson, whose backhand shot beat Houston sophomore Will Rauchenstein.

The Hawks still looked to be in good shape after killing off a tough Palmer power play late in the first, but two quick goals gave the Moose a 3-0 edge after the first period.

Michael Hanson got Palmer’s second goal when he scored off a Jared Hanson rebound.

Less than a minute later, Wright — Palmer’s top blueliner — used some luck and timing to net Palmer’s third goal of the period. Manning his post near the Houston blueline during a face off in the Hawks zone, Wright found himself with a clear look at the net when the puck squirted toward center ice. The big defenseman took little time deciding what to do with the golden opportunity, whipping a knucking wrister past Rauchenstein for his first goal of the season.

Houston head coach Mike Styers said his team looked sluggish at times against the Moose, and said he believes conditioning is still a factor for his team, which suited up just 13 players for Friday’s contest.

“I don’t think we’re in as a good of shape as we cold be,” Styers said.

A big second period for both teams ended with Palmer holding an even bigger lead.

Wright started things off with his second goal of the game, another high shot from long range that slipped just past Rauchenstein’s glove.

“He was shooting the puck hard and it was working,” Hanson said of his senior defenseman.

Houston finally got on the board when forward Dillon Styers won a face off to defenseman Brenden Weimer, who quickly slipped the puck past Palmer goalie Sam McQuillen to cut the lead to 4-1.

The Moose converted on a 5-on-3 situation when Richards put in a Michael Hanson rebound midway through the period.

Houston quickly struck back with a shorthanded goal by Micah Ranum, but Palmer again answered, this time with Michael Hanson’s second goal of the afternoon. After being set up perfectly by Watson in front of the Houston net, Hanson’s initial shot was turned back by the Houston netminder. But Hanson stuck with the play, putting his own rebound inside the post to put the Moose up 6-2 after two.

That’s how things stayed until late in the third period, when Wright snuck a wrist shot between Rauchenstein’s glove and the near post for the hat trick.

Houston didn’t score again, as McQuillen — making his first start in net for the Moose — was solid, turning back 13 of 15 Houston shots on the game to pick up his first career varsity win. Houston’s Rauchenstein had 36 saves in defeat.

Following the game, Mike Styers gave Palmer credit for playing with a high level of intensity from start to finish.

“They took the game to us,” Styers said.

Styers said that many of his players are used to dominating less-talented teams at the 3A level, and Friday’s loss was a bit of a wake-up call.

“Hopefully this is a learning experience for them,” Styers said.

As for the Moose, the Palmer head coach said Friday’s game showed him that his team – which features several new varsity players as well as a new goalie – has the potential for a solid season.

“I saw some great things tonight,” Hanson said. “They scrapped and got better every period.”

On Saturday, Palmer scored a 13-1 win over Tok at the Palmer Ice Arena.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com

PALMER 7, HOUSTON 2

Friday, Menard Memorial Arena

Palmer 3 3 1 — 7

Houston 0 2 0 — 2

First period – 1. Pal- J. Hanson (Richards), 4:53; 2. Pal- M. Hanson (J. Hanson, Richards), 13:53; 3. Pal- Wright (un), 14:38.

Second period – 4. Pal- Wright (M. Hanson), 2:26; 5. Hou- Weimer (Styers), 4:33; 6. Pal- Richards (M. Hanson, J. Hanson), pp, 8:44; 7. Hou- Ranum (Henkel), sh, 9:10; 8. Pal- M. Hanson (Watson), 1:07.

Third period – 9. Pal- Wright (Monarch, Watson), 14:11.

Shots on goal: Palmer- 14-14-15 – 43. Houston- 5-7-3 – 15. Saves: Palmer- McQuillan 5-5-3 — 13. Houston- Rauchenstein 11-11-14 — 36. Penalties – Palmer 5 for 10; Houston 7 for 14.