Warriors knock off visiting Rams

WASILLA -- A giant weight has been lifted off the shoulders of Wasilla head coach Eric Troisi and his Warrior hockey squad.

The Warriors earned their first victory of the season on Thursday, defeating the Monroe Catholic Rams 4-2 at the Brett Ice Arena.

"It is just a big help," Troisi said concerning the confidence level of his squad. "It is just a big plus to get our first win."

The Warriors stormed out in the first period and were able to get on the scoreboard, not once, but twice in the opening minutes of the contest.

Spencer Syverston took a Tanner Dutcher pass and scored just 54 seconds into the opening frame, and just 11 seconds later the junior defensemen assisted on a Chase Korsmo goal to give the Warriors a quick 2-0 lead.

The Warriors baffled Monroe goaltender John Carlson with a flury of shots in the opening minutes. An army of red and white jerseys converged on the Monroe net, helping the Wasilla scoring cause.

The Rams were not able to get their first shot on goal until the 11:41 mark of the first period. Monroe's Chad Wilson tried to sneak the puck by, but Wasilla's Dean Papadora dove to thrawt Wilson's hopes of making it a 2-1 contest.

Jordan Troisi gave the Warriors a 3-0 lead with an even strength goal with just more than five minutes to go in the first period.

Monroe was not able to put consistent pressure on Papadora and the Warrior net until the Rams were granted a 5-on-3 opportunity in the second period. Syverston was whistled with a five-minute major for an open ice checking from behind hit and Justin Keel was called for interference midway through the Syverston major, giving the Rams the two-man advantage.

With 53 seconds of 5-on-3 play left, Monroe's Mike Andre took a pass from Tully La Belle-Hamer and put the puck past Papadora.

"With the five-minute major they could have been right back in there," Troisi said.

With only 29 seconds left in the second period, the Warriors again jumped to a three goal lead. Korsmo chased down the puck, outskating a Monroe defensemen, and sent a centering pass to Arlin Welch. The freshman put the biscuit in the basket for the Warriors, giving the red and white a 4-1 lead.

"The goal with 29 seconds was really the key," Troisi said. "It helped a lot and gave us our 4-1 lead."

The Warriors were able to consistently pepper the Monroe goal throughout the contest. Wasilla registered 38 shots. Monroe chipped in 18 shots, with Papadora recording 16 saves.

First period: Scoring: Wasilla, Syverston (Dutcher) EV (13:06); Wasilla, Korsmo (Syverston) EV (12:55); Wasilla, Troisi (Jensen) EV (5:26); Penalties: Wasilla, Jacobson 2-boarding (3:53); PP: Monroe 0-1, Wasilla 0-0;

Second period: Scoring: Monroe, Andre (La Belle-Hamer) PP (8:14); Wasilla, Welch (Korsmo, Syverston) EV (0:29); Penalties: Wasilla, Syverston 5-checking from behind (12:47); Monroe, Paskva 2-holding (10:21); Wasilla, Keel 2-interference (9:45); PP Monroe 1-2, Wasilla 0-0

Third period: Scoring: M onroe, Andre (Wilson) PP (3:23); Penalties: Monroe, La Belle-Hamer 2-holding (12:10); Wasilla, Kaufman 2-hooking (8:52); Wasilla, Jacobson 2-interference (4:12); Wasilla, Keel 2-roughing (0:07); PP: Monroe 1-3, Wasilla 0-1.Totals: PP: Monroe 2-6, Wasilla 0-1; Shots: Monroe 18, Wasilla 38; Saves: Carlson- Monroe 34, Papadora-Wasilla 16.