Warriors win Big Lake hockey tourney

WASILLA — Sparked by a big second period, the Wasilla Warriors skated off the ice with the trophy.

Wasilla tallied four goals in the middle frame en route to a 5-2 win over Monroe Catholic during the championship final of the Big Lake Lions Classic Saturday in Big Lake. Russell Harren and Alex Engan each scored twice to help Wasilla finish 3-0 during the eight-team tournament hosted by the Houston Hawks and the Big Lake Lions Club. Alex Clark also scored for Wasilla.

Michael Coiley scored both goals for Monroe, the defending 3A state champions.

Friday, Wasilla used a 7-5 win over rival Colony to advance to the final. Saturday, Colony bounced back from the loss to the Warriors with a 7-4 victory over Soldotna in the tournament’s third-place game. Tristan Avoletta and Jake Kirsch each netted the hat trick for Colony. Te’sean Evans added a goal.

Freshman Jaron Ketterman used a half-dozen goals to lead Palmer to a 9-4 win over Kenai in the fourth-place game. David Scully scored twice, and Ezekiel Rubie added a goal for the Moose.

In the seventh-place game, host Houston beat Bartlett 10-3. Kai Kingery scored three times. Tyler Chivers added two goals. Austin Zwiefel, Blake Rogers, JP Nix, Andrew Natekin and Isaac Smoldon also scored.

A trio of Valley players earned all-tourney honors. Houston’s Reed Humphreys earned a spot on defense. Engan and Garrett Conroy represented Wasilla at forward.

Wasilla 5, Monroe 2

Big Lake Lions Classic

Saturday, Big Lake

First period — no scoring.

Second period — 1. Wasilla- Harren (Engan, Abbott) 8:43; 2. Wasilla- Harren (Clark) 4:42; 3. Wasilla- Engan (Conroy) SH; 4. Wasilla- Clark (Conroy) 0:10.

Third period — 5. Monroe- Coiley (Ott, Cobley) 8:40; 6. Monroe- Coiley (Armstrong) 8:23; 7. Wasilla- Engan (Moore) 7:23.

Shots: Monroe 4-8-10—22, Wasilla 12-18-5—35; Saves: Monroe- Jankowski 12-14-4—30, Wasilla- Campbell 4-8-8—20.

Colony 7, Soldotna 4

Big Lake Lions Classic

Saturday, Big Lake

First period — 1. Soldotna- Hensley (B. Urban) 12:34; 2. Soldotna- Medcoff (Brown, Hanson) sh 8:58; 3. Colony- Avoletta (Riekena, Smith) 7:39; 4. Colony- Avoletta (Smith, Ketchum) 5:26; 5. Colony- Kirsch (Crosta) 1:56.

Second period — 6. Colony- Evans (unassisted) 9:35; 7. Colony- Kirsch (Hessinger, Evans) pp 7:36.

Third period — 8. Colony- Avoletta (Smith) 13:43; 9. Soldotna- Medcoff (Hensley, Brantley) 7:49; 10. Soldotna- Montague (Aley, Medcoff) 3:51; 11. Colony- Kirsch (Crosta) 1:05.

Shots on goal: Soldotna 12-6-11—29, Colony 17-10-19—46; Saves: Soldotna- Yoder 14-8-17—39; Colony- Doss 10-x-x—10, Gamez x-6-9—15.

Palmer 9, Kenai 4

Big Lake Lions Classic

Saturday, Big Lake

First period — 1. Palmer- Ketterman (Ropka) 4:11; 2. Palmer- Ketterman (unassisted) 2:06.

Second period — 3 Kenai- Mese (Hagel) 11:06; 4. Palmer- Scully (unassisted) 8:48; 5. Kenai- Beiser (Mese) 8:39; 6. Palmer- Ketterman (Christiansen) 7:51; 7. Palmer- Ketterman (Rosenberg, Wilson) 7:21; 8. Kenai- Knutson (Hawkins, Maxson) 0:32.

Third period — 9. Palmer- Ketterman (unassisted) 12:14; 10. Kenai- Mese (O’Brien) 11:51; 11. Palmer- Scully (Thiesen) 9:25; 12. Palmer- Rubie (Christiansen) 1:48; 13. Palmer- Ketterman (Wilson, Dunham) 0:07.

Shots on goal: Kenai- 3-15-15—33, Palmer 21-12-22—5; Saves: Kenai- Williams 19-9-18—46, Palmer- Winder 3-12-14—29.

Houston 10, Bartlett 3

Big Lake Lions Classic

Saturday, Big Lake

First period — 1. Bartlett- Bell (Lambert) 14:05; 2. Houston- Kingery (Smoldon) 2:29; 3. Houston- A. Natekin (Humphreys) 2:12.

Second period — 4. Houston- Zweifel (unassisted) 12:09; 5. Houston- Rogers (Styers) 11:43; 6. Houston- T. Chivers (Smoldon) 10:07; 7. Bartlett- Mackin (Bill) 4:28; 8. Houston- Smoldon (T. Chivers) 1:39; 9. Houston- Kingery (H. Chivers) 1:29.

Third period — 10. Bartlett- Bell (Mackin) 11:39; 11. Houston- Kingery (T. Chivers) 8:20; 12. Houston- T. Chivers (unassisted) sh 6:20; 13. Houston- Nix (Zweifel, Mach) 1:31.

Shots on goal: Bartlett 13-5-13—31, Houston 11-18-13—42; Saves: Bartlett- Henderson 9-13-x—22, Lambert x-x-10—10; Houston- J. Smoldon 12-4-12—28.