Scoring surge sends Warriors past Knights

WASILLA — The Wasilla Warriors and Colony Knights skated off the ice for the first intermission with the score locked at 2. But things changed in the second period.

Wasilla erupted and tallied four goals during the middle frame, and posted an 8-4 win over the rival Knights Friday night at the Brett Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla. The Warriors peppered the Colony net with 17 shots during the period, and four different players scored for Wasilla in the second. The effort helped Wasilla finish the regular season at the top of the Mid-Alaska Conference standings, ahead of second-place Colony. Both Wasilla and Colony have qualified for the Division I state tournament, which starts Feb. 7 at the Menard Sports Center in Wasilla.

Three of Wasilla’s second-period goals came in less than a two-minute span. McKinley Larson sparked the surge with a power play goal with 7:03 mark of the second. That goal broke the 2-2 tie. Just 43 seconds later, Colin Goff added to the advantage. And another 40 seconds later, Zach Roush scored the first of his two goals in the win. Langston Bouma, who also scored twice, gave Wasilla the 6-2 lead late in the period.

Roush and Aidan Goff added third-period goals for WHS.

Chase Schachle gave Wasilla its first lead early in the first period. Blake Reid scored with 7:34 left in the first to tie the game at 1. After Bouma gave Wasilla the lead, Brett Ewing scored for the Knights to tie the game again.

Mitchell Diltz and Carson McLaughlin found the back of the net for the Knights in the third.

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

Wasilla 8, Colony 4

Friday, Brett Memorial Ice Arena

First period — 1. Wasilla- Schachle (Woolcott) 10:29; 2. Colony- Reid (unassisted) 7:34; 3. Wasilla- Bouma (Roush, Harbour) 4:24; 4. Colony- Ewing (Diltz) 2:07.

Second period — 5. Wasilla- Larson (Bouma) pp 7:03; 6. Wasilla- C. Goff (Larson, A. Goff) 6:20; 7. Wasilla- Roush (A. Goff, Taylor) 5:40; 8. Wasilla- Bouma (Harbour) 1:40.

Third period — 9. Colony- Diltz (unassisted) 10:22; 10. Wasilla- Parsons (Woolcott, Schachle) 6:47; 11. Wasilla- Roush (Bouma, Harbour) 5:32; 12. Colony- McLaughlin (MacDonald, Jellich) pp 4:05.

Shots on goal: Colony 5-7-11—23, Wasilla 8-17-5—30; Saves: Colony- Shepard 6-13-3—22, Norman x-x-0—0; Wasilla: Campbell 3-7-3—13, Frazier x-x-6—6.