Soldotna leaves Warriors seeing Stars

WASILLA — The Soldotna Stars didn’t have a ton of power play chances Friday night, but when the Stars did have the man advantage, Soldotna cashed in.

Soldotna used a pair of power play goals during the final two periods to grab a 3-2 win over the Wasilla Warriors during the semifinal round of the North Star Conference tournament at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena on Friday.

“It was a real well played game,” Wasilla head coach Bill Sturdevant said. “The penalties our guys took were necessary penalties.”

Soldotna sophomore Brad Duwe gave his team the lead, and eventually the win, with a power play tally early in the third period. The goal, which came at the 9:22 mark of the third, was his second score of the game.

Senior Daniel Markstrom also scored on the power play for Soldotna.

Going into the contest, Sturdevant knew stopping a talented Soldotna top line led by Duwe would be the key in the game. In Wasilla’s last meeting with Soldotna — a 4-1 by the Stars in late January — Duwe either scored or set up each of Soldotna’s first three goals.

To help slow down Soldotna’s sophomore standout Sturdevant moved junior Jeremiah Walker to Wasilla’s top line, alongside junior Jade Johnston and sophomore Trent Wohlers. Even though Duwe scored twice in the Soldotna win, Sturdevant said the move of Walker to the top line helped put Wasilla in position to score the victory.

“He did a fantastic job,” Sturdevant said of Walker. “He brought a lot of energy to the line. He was excited about getting the opportunity and showed he is capable (of playing on the top line).”

Not only did Walker help on the defensive end of the ice, but he also scored one of Wasilla’s two goals in the game.

With the Warriors trailing 2-1 in the final minute of the second period, Walker put a puck past Soldotna netminder Steven Kendrick to tie the score at 2-2.

After taking a pass from Johnston, Walker got free in the neutral zone and put a hard shot on net, and tied the score.

“We tell the guys to play all the way through, and that’s exactly what he did,” Sturdevant said.

Wohlers gave Wasilla the first lead of the game when he scored early in the second period. Senior captain Dylan Troisi pushed the puck up to Wohlers, who skated past the blue line and fired a shot on net and by Kendrick.

Duwe scored his first goal of the game with just more than six minutes left in the first to tie the game at 1-1.

Soldotna’s win moved the Stars into a title bout with Palmer and gave the Peninsula team the right to return to Wasilla next week for the 4A state tourney, an event that starts Thursday at the Menard Arena. It’s Soldotna’s second straight trip to the state tourney. Wasilla, meanwhile, will be left out of the state tournament for the first time since 2003.

Despite missing the state event for the first time in six years, Sturdevant said he is pleased with the accomplishment of a varsity team that includes 14 underclassmen.

“We lost 10-plus players last year and were coming in with a brand new team,” Sturdevant said. “These kids stepped up to the plate.”

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Soldotna 3, Wasilla 2

North Star Conference semifinals

Friday, Menard Arena

First period — no scoring.

Second period — 1. Wasilla- Wohlers (Troisi) 12:32, 2. Soldotna- Duwe (Fisher) 6:39, 3. Soldotna- Markstrom (Garskey, Endsley) pp 4:22, 4. Wasilla- Walker (J. Johnston, Hanson) 0:33.

Third period — 5. Soldotna- Duwe (Markstrom, Endsley) pp 9:22.

Goalies: Soldotna- Kendrick 17 saves, Wasilla- Yaskus 38 saves.