Senior leads Moose to hockey win

PALMER — Sometimes it only takes one win to get a team moving in the right direction. Palmer head coach Eric Troisi and the Moose are hoping a 6-3 win over Bartlett can help create some momentum as the Moose prepare for a big finish to the North Star Conference regular season.

“It’s definitely important for sure,” Troisi said of Wednesday’s victory at the MTA Events Center in Palmer.

Senior Jarrett Johns notched a hat trick and junior Cole Clements scored a pair of goals to help Palmer score the victory and snap a three-game losing streak. The upperclassmen combined for five of the six goals for a team that has been made up mostly of underclassman throughout the 2013-14 season.

Even though the Moose have fielded a younger team, Troisi has said throughout the season this is a team with the ability to compete in the conference.

“It doesn’t really matter the grade level. If the kids play with confidence and the right attitude, they can get the job done,” Troisi said.

Palmer, still in search of its first NSC win of the season, was competitive throughout a three-day weekend of conference games last week.

“We had Kenai tied 3-3 before the wheels fell off in the second (period). We played Soldotna really well, and were right there. (Against) Homer was a good game, back and forth,” Troisi said.

Overall, Troisi said he hopes Wednesday’s victory can give his team some confidence.

“Getting a win should help some of these kids,” Troisi said.

Taylor Foster also scored for Palmer. Hayden Moistner led the team with two assists. Troisi said the Moose were excited about Johns’ hat trick.

“Being a senior, that was really nice for him,” Troisi said.

Palmer is expected to be the No. 6 seed at the upcoming North Star Conference Championship, but has the opportunity to play spoiler during the final eight days of the regular season.

Tonight, the Moose host the Colony Knights at 7 p.m. at the MTA Events Center. Palmer hosts Wasilla next Friday.

Both Colony and Wasilla are in the running for the top seed in the tournament.

Regardless of seed, Troisi said the Moose know there’s still a chance to win at the region tournament. Last year, Palmer upset Colony in the first round.

“They’re already talking about that,” Troisi said.