Prep hockey: Wasilla storms past Houston

Dec. 17, 2006

By Matt Tunseth/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - Following his team's 7-2 loss to the Wasilla Warriors, Houston Hawks head coach Mike Styers stated what was obvious to anyone in attendance at the Wasilla Multi-use Sports Complex.

&#8220There is a rivalry,” Styers said.

The Warriors were able to consistently capitalize on Houston penalties in a game that featured more than the usual amount of rough play and trash talk between the Valley rivals.

Houston has been the class of the small-schools division in recent years, and has gotten the better of the larger Wasilla program recently. This year, however, Wasilla boasts a strong, deep team that is among the best in the large-schools North Star Conference.

&#8220There's definitely some history there,” Wasilla coach Bill Sturdevant acknowledged.

Wasilla was much better at taking advantage of the referee's whistle Friday night, picking up four power-play goals to two for Houston. Wasilla's special teams also came through when the Warriors found themselves in the box, getting a key shorthanded goal from Adam Friese in the second period.

&#8220Any time you can get a shorthanded goal like that it can be a backbreaker,” Sturdevant said of Friese's tally, which gave the Warriors a 4-1 lead.

Friese led the Warriors on the offensive end, picking up two goals and three assists on the night. Also scoring for Wasilla were Matthew Friese, Ben Barber, Dane Wilson, Harvey Finch and Dylan Troisi. Carl Brent added two assists for Wasilla, while Matthew Friese, Brian Turner and Jordan Ingalls each had one helper.

The game was close early, with Houston actually tying things up at 1-1 midway through the first period when Kaleb Westfall poked the puck past Wasilla goalie Jesse Hugli during a Houston 5-on-3 opportunity. Aaron Burleson assisted on the play.

The Warriors went ahead for good later in the period, when Barber's slapshot from the point got through the legs of Houston goalie Will Bauchenstein to give the Warriors a 2-1 lead after one period.

Wasilla broke things open in the second, getting goals from Wilson, Adam Friese and Brent to pull out to a 5-1 advantage. Houston's Dylan Styers got a late second-period goal, but it was too little, too late for the Hawks.

&#8220I thought our guys worked pretty hard tonight,” coach Styers said following the game. &#8220Wasilla is just a deeper team.”

Emily Hundley and Jake Henkel assisted on Styers' goal.

Dylan Troisi and Adam Friese capped the scoring for Wasilla with goals 16 seconds apart early in the third period to quash any hopes of a Houston comeback.

In addition to dominating on offense, the Warriors got a solid night of goaltending out of Hugli, who stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced.

&#8220Jesse played great tonight,” Sturdevant said. &#8220He didn't give them anything to shoot at.”

Styers had high praise for Wasilla's play, saying they're the best team the Hawks have faced all season. As for the emotional nature of the contest, he said that's to be expected from two teams that know each other as well as Wasilla and Houston.

&#8220These kids know each other pretty well. But they'll do what they do out there and then go and be buddies off the ice,” he said.

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

frontiersman.com.

Wasilla 7, Houston 2

Friday, Menard Memorial Arena

First Period - 1. Wasilla - M. Friese (A. Friese, Brent) pp, 12:36, 2. Houston- Westfall (Burleson) pp, 7:52, 3. Wasilla- Barber (A. Friese) pp, 1:55.

Second Period - 4. Wasilla - Wilson (Brent) pp, 12:02, 5. Wasilla- A. Friese (unassisted) sh, 9:20, 6. Wasilla- Finch (M.Friese, A. Friese) 3:54, 7. Houston- Styers (Hundley, Henkel) pp, :34.

Third Period - 8. Wasilla - Troisi (Turner) pp, 11:22, 9. Wasilla- A. Friese (Ingalls) 11:06.

Shots on goal: Wasilla 10-12-10-32, Houston 8-7-11-26; Saves: Wasilla- Hugli 7-6-11-24, Houston- Bauchenstein 8-9-8-25; Penalties: Wasilla 10-for-28, Houston 9-for-18.