Wolfpack eliminate Warriors from state hockey tournament

WASILLA — There are some losses that simply prove too difficult to recover from.

The Wasilla Warriors followed a 2-1 double-overtime loss to East Anchorage late Thursday night with a 4-1 loss to the West Valley Wolfpack during the second day of the ASAA/First National Cup 4A state hockey championship at the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena Friday morning.

“We had a feeling this morning coming in there could be effects from that loss last night,” Wasilla head coach Bill Sturdevant said following the Warriors’ loss in the consolation semifinals Friday morning, a defeat which ended Wasilla’s 2009-10 season. “To lose a game like that, it’s hard to regroup.”

West Valley scored a pair of second-period goals and outshot the Warriors 38-23 during a win that moved the Wolfpack into the tournament’s consolation final. West Valley will face South Anchorage Saturday at 9 a.m.

While West Valley was able to rebound from a 7-2 loss to Dimond in the first round, the Warriors had trouble recovering from the heartbreaking loss to East.

Wasilla’s extra-periods battle with East didn’t go final until after 10 p.m. Thursday night. It took Joseph Reynolds’ redirection of his own rebound into the Wasilla net to decide the four-frame marathon. While East had plenty of time to prepare for its 8 p.m. semifinal date with Dimond, Wasilla was forced to hit the rink less than 12 hours later.

“It’s draining,” Sturdevant said. “Mentally we were drained. Physically we were drained. A lot of the kids didn’t get back until midnight last night.”

Justin Woods snuck a shot from the point past Wasilla goalie Chris Yaskus with 46 seconds left in the first period to give the Wolfpack the lead.

Senior Jeremiah Walker scored on the power play early in the second to tie the score at 1-1, but West Valley capped the game with three unanswered goals.

West Valley 4, Wasilla 1

ASAA/First National Cup consolation semifinals

Friday, Menard Arena

First period — 1. West Valley- Woods (Bratton) 0:46.

Second period — 2. Wasilla- Walker (Marshall, Hanson) pp 12:25, 3. West Valley- Shoemaker (unassisted) 8:28, 4. West Valley- Bratton (Henne, Shoemaker) 5:16.

Third period — 5. West Valley- Wixon (Terhuns) 1:22.

Shots on goal: West Valley 14-9-13—38, Wasilla 7-13-3—23; Saves: West Valley- Morey 7-12-3—22, Wasilla- Yaskus 13-7-12—34.