Warriors rebound

WASILLA — Wednesday night was important for the Wasilla Warriors.

Wasilla was on the heels of a frustrating loss to rival Colony and is on a verge of an important stretch of the North Star Conference schedule. With a few days off for the Thanksgiving holiday, head coach Bill Sturdevant said the Warriors needed to get back on track before an upcoming three-game trip through the Kenai Peninsula.

A night after falling to Colony 5-1, Wasilla rebounded to score a 5-2 win over the Houston Hawks at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena on Wednesday.

“It’s nice going into this break to get a win like that,” Sturdevant said. “We’ve got a big swing through the Peninsula coming up. We have to be ready.”

Senior Chancie Hanson and freshman Tegan Harrington each scored twice for the Warriors, who start that three-game road trip at Kenai on Thursday.

Harrington scored a key breakaway goal for Wasilla early in the second period. With the score tied at 1, Harrington picked up a turnover to create the breakaway and beat Houston freshman goalie Aaron Allred for the score.

“That was huge for us getting that breakaway,” Sturdevant said.

Harrington — who skates on an all-freshmen line alongside fellow ninth-graders Adam Apangolook and Colton Fletcher — had three points in the game and added an empty-netter late.

“He’s going to be looked to, to be scoring goals like that every chance he gets,” Sturdevant said.

Harrington’s first goal gave the Warriors the 2-1 lead and Hanson tallied the eventual game-winner late in the third.

With less than three minutes left in the period, Hanson skated into the Houston defensive zone and lifted a wrister from the right wing circle into the top of the Houston net.

Hanson added a second goal early in the third, again scoring after he skated into the Hawks defensive zone and snapped a shot high.

Troy Veplanke also scored for Wasilla, giving the Warriors the lead with an early power-play goal.

Jake Wells and Patric Thistle both scored for Houston. Just minutes after Verplanke gave his team the 1-0 lead, Wells tucked a shot right underneath the crossbar to tie the score at 1.

In the third period, Thistle cut Wasilla’s lead in half after cashing in on a Warrior turnover.

Thistle picked up the puck in the Wasilla defensive zone, and sent a shot from between the circles.

Wasilla outshot Houston 41-24 in the game. Rhys Jones stopped 22 shots to earn the win in net. Allred made 36 saves for the Hawks.

The upcoming week will be busy for all the Valley teams. Palmer and Colony meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Menard Arena.

Palmer, Colony and Wasilla all have a three-day, three-game road trip to the Kenai Peninsula later in the week. Houston hosts Glennallen, Monroe Catholic and Hutchison in the Valley over a long weekend.

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

Wasilla 5, Houston 2

Wednesday, Menard

First period — 1. Wasilla- Verplanke (Co. Hanson, Cooley) pp; 2. Houston- Wells (Styers).

Second period — 2. Wasilla- Harrington (unassisted) 13:04; 3. Wasila- Ch. Hanson (Keene) 2:24.

Third period — 4. Wasilla- Ch. Hanson (Harrington, Fletcher) 13:50; 5. Houston- Thistle (unassisted) 10:28; 6. Wasilla- Harrington (unassisted) en 0:10.7.

Shots on goal: Wasilla 41, Houston 24; Saves: Wasilla- Jones 22, Houston- Allred 36.