Warriors forward named North Star’s top player

WASILLA — Garrett Conroy’s name was announced after Wasilla goals an awful lot during his senior year.

Sixty-one times to be exact.

After bagging 29 goals and 32 assists, for a conference-best 61 points, the senior has also pocketed the league’s biggest honor. The Wasilla Warriors forward has been named the North Star Conference Player of the Year.

“I think with Garrett, it’s been his consistency. I think he’s just worked hard every single game this year,” said Wasilla head coach Trent Schachle, who earned North Star Coach of the Year honors.

Conroy more than doubled his point total from a year ago. He finished with 16 goals and 11 assists for 27 points as a junior, after finishing with 13-19-32 totals as a sophomore. In three years in the varsity lineup, Conroy has amassed 120 points, 58 goals and 62 assists.

As a senior Conroy has finished with at least a point in 23 of his 26 games.

“He’s putting up numbers every game,” Schachle said.

Conroy is currently riding an eight-game point-scoring streak and four-game goal-scoring streak. He had three straight two-goal games late in the season. Schachle said it’s more than just Conroy’s skill set.

“Mentally, he’s ready every game. Mentally, he’s prepared, ready to play,” Schachle said.

Conroy has spent much of his senior year sharing a line with sophomore Alex Engan, who is second on the team with 50 points. Engan, who earned second-team honors, added 17 assists to his team-high 33 goals.

“They move the puck well together,” Schachle said of the duo.

Conroy and Engan mark the first Warrior skaters to hit the 50-point mark, since former Wasilla standout Trent Wohlers finished with 54 points in the 2008-09 season.

Wasila led the North Star Conference with five players on the first team. Senior captain Russell Harren was also named first team. Harren is third on the team with 48 points, 20-28-48 totals. Three Wasilla defensmen — freshman Dylan Abbott (9-16-25), sophomore Austin Stephens (10-16-26) and junior Tyler Lutz (3-9-12) — were also named first-team.

Colony, which earned the NSC title with a 3-2 win over the Warriors in the final, placed three players on the first team. Junior Cooper Smith, who leads the Knights in scoring with 46 points, was named to the first team. Smith has 20 goals and a team-high 26 assists. Fellow Knights forward Otto Thiele was also named first-team after collecting nine goals and nine assists in only nine games.

Sophomore Zach Monaco, who Colony head coach Jamie Smith has credited with helping solidify the Knights on the defensive end of the ice, also earned first-team honors on the blue line. Monaco has two goals and 12 assists.

Palmer also placed a pair of players on the first team. Freshman Jaron Ketterman earned first-team honors after starting his prep career with a 50-point season. Ketterman scored a conference high-36 goals and also collected 14 assists. Senior Cody Grogan capped his career with first-team honors at goaltender. Grogan made 532 saves as a senior, and finished with a .903 saves percentage.

Smith and Conroy each earned first-team honors for the second straight year.

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

All-North Star Conference

Player of the Year: Garrett Conroy, Wasilla

Coach of the Year: Trent Schachle, Wasilla

First team:

Forward — Garrett Conroy, Wasilla; Russell Harren, Wasilla; Jaron Ketterman, Palmer; Cooper Smith, Colony; Otto Thiele, Colony; Levi Mese, Kenai; Defense — Dylan Abbott, Wasilla; Austin Stephens, Wasilla; Corey Hanson, Soldotna; Tyler Lutz, Wasilla; Zach Monaco, Colony; Goalie — Cody Grogan, Palmer.

Second team:

Forward — Porter Schachle, Wasilla; Alex Engan, Wasilla; Dimitry Kuzmin, Homer; Paker Lockwood, Soldotna; Jake Hessinger, Colony; Jake Kirsch, Colony; Robby Larson, Homer; Defense: Levi Hensley, Soldotna; Bryce Crosta, Colony; Garrett Ropka, Palmer; Goalie — Billy Yoder, Soldotna.

Honorable mention:

Forward — Galen Brantley III, Soldotna; Defense — Trevor Witthus, Soldotna; Jakob O’Brien, Kenai; Goalie — Joey Diltz, Colony; Aaron Campbell, Wasilla.