Sophomore lifts Knights to shootout win over Warriors

WASILLA — When it comes to clutch play in the Menard Tournament, nobody’s been better for the Colony Knights in the last two years than Anthony Kolendo.

Kolendo, who scored the overtime goal in Colony’s 7-6 upset of East Anchorage during the tournament last year, buried the game-clinching shootout tally to lead the Knights to a 4-3 shootout victory over rival Wasilla Friday during the second day of the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Hockey Tournament at the Curtis C. Menard Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla.

“He’s pretty poised,” Colony head coach Jamie Smith said of the underclassman. “He doesn’t get seized up in a situation like that. I’m pretty proud of him.”

Each team used five players in the shootout, and Kolendo, Colony’s fifth shooter, faked to his right and put a shot into the upper left corner to score.

“It was already planned out,” Kolendo said of the strategy.

Junior Morgan McJimsey also found the back of the net during the shootout to help give CHS the edge. Only one of Wasilla’s five shooters, senior captain Chancie Hanson, was able to score during the tiebreaker.

Alex Svoboda, Kevin Hartley and McJimsey each scored during the first two periods to help Colony earn the win against a Wasilla squad the Knights will see again Tuesday at the Menard Arena.

Smith said he felt Wasilla outplayed his squad in the first period — the Warriors outshot Colony 11-4 in the first — but Svoboda was able to give Colony the advantage, scoring with 1:46 left in the frame.

Colony added to its advantage in the second with the Hartley and McJimsey scores. McJimsey’s goal was a shorthanded tally.

“I think we mixed it up a bit,” Smith said. “We moved the puck well.”

Wasilla was able to come back in the third, scoring three goals during the final period of regulation.

Wasilla’s all-freshman line combined for a power-play tally early in the third period. Adam Apangolook scored with the advantage less than three minutes into the third to put the Warriors on the board. Teegan Harrington and Colton Fletcher set up the play.

Wasilla needed less than a minute to score again with the advantage. Hanson scored another power-play goal, 38 seconds after Apangolook.

Sophomore Cooper Hanson tied the score at 3 with 3:35 left.

Wasilla outshot Colony 16-4 in the third and 49-33 in the game.

Colony senior Forrest Savel made 46 saves in the Colony win.

Smith said surviving Wasilla’s three-goal third and fighting back to take back the win is big for the confidence of his team.

“I think it’s big for our young guys,” Smith said.

Colony moved into the fourth-place game with the win over the Warriors, but fell to West Anchorage 7-0. West finished fourth in the tourney, Colony was sixth.

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

Colony 4, Wasilla 3

Friday, Menard Arena

First period — 1. Colony- Svoboda (Boyer) 1:46.

Second period — 2. Colony- Hartley (Naylor, Boyer) pp 6:12; 3. Colony- McJimsey (unassisted) sh 3:25.

Third period — 4. Wasilla- Apangolook (Harrington, Fletcher) pp 12:13; 5. Wasilla- Ch. Hanson (Harrington) pp 11:35; 6. Wasilla- Co. Hanson (Trush) 3:35.

Overtime — no scoring.

Shootout — Kolendo.

Shots on goal: Colony 4-17-4-8—33, Wasilla 11-13-16-9—49; Saves: Colony- Savel 11-13-13-9—46; Wasilla- Massie 3-15-4-7—29.

West Anchorage 7, Colony 0

Saturday, Menard Arena

First period — 1. West- Ellingworth (Vandervort, Kelly) 1:09.

Second period — 2. West- Ellingworth (unassisted) 11:24; 3. West- Teders (Turchaninov) pp 4:52.

Third period — 4. West- Kuiper (Barth, Turchaninov) 13:48; 5. West- Osgood (Bruner) 12:26; 6. West- Bruner (Teders) sh 7:08; 7. West- Leguineche (Ellingworth) 0:06.