Warriors blank Moose, earn first win

ANCHORAGE — Last week, the Wasilla Warriors suffered a season-opening loss against a Colony team that already had a match in the books. On Tuesday, Wasilla had its chance to be the one with match experience and the Warriors took advantage.

Newcomer Jake Barber posted a goal and an assist to lead the Warriors to a 2-0 win over Palmer at The Dome in Anchorage.

“We faced that with Colony (last week). That was their third match and our first match,” Wasilla head coach Blake Livingston said. “We certainly tried to capatilize on having that extra game experience.”

Barber and Dustin Hout scored during the first half to give Wasilla (1-1) its first win of the season. Barber set up a Hout header 15 minutes in to give the Warriors the 1-0 lead. Later in the first half, Barber knocked in his own rebound to push Wasilla’s advantage to 2-0.

“We were very opportunistic in the first half in the offensive third,” Livingston said. “Our strikers utilized their speed and created a lot of pressure.”

Barber is a first-year Warrior. The Missouri resident came to the Mat-Su Valley to play for the Alaska Avalanche Junior A hockey team/ He’s attending Wasilla High and has been a good addition to the Wasilla soccer team, Livingston said.

“He made an immediate impact,” Livingston said. “He’s very skilled, very explosive.”

Senior Matthew Friese, another Avalanche player and former WHS hockey standout, is also back with the team.

Junior Chaz Davilia-Rush, filling in for injured starter Eli Tingstad, earned the shutout in the Wasilla net.

“He was up for the task,” Livingston said. “He came in mentally and physically prepared.”

Livingston said Davilia-Rush made “two or three outstanding saves,” in the victory. Davilia-Rush pushed a Palmer penalty kick attempt wide with about seven minutes to play in regulation.

Livingston noted Palmer’s efforts to continue battling throughout the match.

“To their credit, they played a full 80 minutes. They never hung their heads,” Livingston said. “Palmer has a lot of fight. They came out hard as expected.”

Wasilla’s match with Seward on Saturday has been moved to Wasilla High School. The match was originally scheduled to be in Seward, but will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. at WHS.

Palmer will hit the road next week for a three-day road trip through the Kenai Peninsula. The Moose face Nikiski Thursday at 5 p.m., Soldotna Friday at 5 p.m. and Kenai Saturday at noon.

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