Third-period flurry lifts Warriors over defending champs

WASILLA — Adam Apangalook scored the biggest goal of his career. Kiana Verplancke enjoyed the biggest game of her life. And Apangalook and Verplancke combined to help Wasilla earn one its biggest wins in program history.

Verplancke, a junior goalie, came off the bench to stop all 25 shots she saw, and Apangalook netted the game winner with 1 minute and 25 seconds left in regulation to lead the Warriors to a 4-3 win over two-time defending state champion Dimond during the first round of the 2014 ASAA First National Cup in front of a raucous home crowd at the Menard Arena in Wasilla

Apangalook beat Dimond goalie Ashton Good with just more than a minute left to break the 3-3 tie and move the Warriors into the semifinal round, where they will face West Anchorage Friday at 8 p.m. at the Menard.

The junior forward forced a turnover in the Dimond defensive zone, skated into the right wing circle and fired a shot, five-hole, into the Dimond net.

“That was a dream for me, that was a dream. I was going to pass it, but I knew I had to get it on net,” Apangalook said of his game-winner before quickly lending praise to all his teammates. “All my teammates worked really hard.”

Apagalook scored the last of Wasilla’s four unanswered goals in the win. Dimond took a quick 3-0 lead, recording all three of its goals during the first nine minutes of play.

At the 5:50 mark, with Dimond sporting the hefty lead, Verplancke entered the game for the Warriors.

“I didn’t know what to think,” Verplancke said about entering the quarterfinal contest in the first period. “I was nervous going in, really nervous going in cold.”

Dimond finished with 20 shots in the first period, but Verplancke made seven saves in the final 5:50 of the first frame.

“I felt a lot better. After a couple saves, it’s just so much easier,” Verplancke said.

Even though she was the reserve goaltender heading into the contest, Verplancke said she always has to be focused.

“I get ready for every game like I’m going to play, even if I know I’m not,” Verplancke said. “Before every game I warm up like I’m going to play.”

Blake Carricaburu got things started for the Warriors late in the second period. With less than four minutes to go in the middle frame, the junior defenseman smacked a shot from the point high into the Dimond net. Wasilla added three goals in the third. With traffic covering the Dimond crease, Jack Reeves forced a loose puck into the net at the 9:26 mark of the third to cut Dimond’s lead to a single goal. Less than two minutes later, defenseman Andrew Cooley blasted a shot from just inside the blue line into the Dimond net.

Wasilla head coach Trent Schachle was thrilled with the work of his team. After a rough start, Schachle said the rally started with better play late in the first period.

“The last two minutes of the first period we started working,” Schachle said. “We came out real nervous. Pucks were jumping around everywhere and we were standing around watching. We finally got back to playing our game.”

The Wasilla win capped a pucktastic first day of the ASAA First National Cup. All four of the 4A first-round games were one-goal games, and two went into overtime. South started the day with a 2-1 win over Lathrop. Chugiak followed with a dramatic 2-1 win over Soldotna in triple-overtime. In the evening, West Anchorage outlasted West Valley 3-2 in overtime.

Wasilla is now one win away from a trip to the state title game for the first time since 1989.

Verplancke said she felt the Warrior comeback certainly says something about her team.

“I think it says we have a shot at the state championship,” Verplancke said.

Wasilla 4, Dimond 3

4A quarterfinals

Thursday, Menard Arena

First period — 1. Dimond- Teilborg (Glover, Conley) 13:50; 2. Dimond- Sakumoto (unassisted) sh 9:24; 3. Dimond- Glover (Pfeifer, Teilborg) 5:50.

Second period — 4. Wasilla- Carricaburu (unassisted) 3:45.

Third period — 5. Wasilla- Reeves (Hanson) 9:26; 6. Wasilla- Cooley (Schruf) 7:32; 7. Wasilla- Apangalook (unassisted) 1:25.

Shots on goal: Dimond 20-11-7—38; Wasilla: 1-10-15—26; Saves: Dimond- Good 1-9-12—22, Wasilla- Monear 10-x-x—10, Verplancke 7-11-7—25.