BCHL News

Kings Captain Penner goes out in style

Warriors and 'Backs prepare for postseason collision

Clippers win their last games before playoffs

Motivation missing as Chiefs drop season finale

Message sending mayhem as Chiefs top Express

Vipers grab final playoff berth

Wild, WAHA Combine For Development Program

Wenatchee, WA. – Wenatchee Amateur Hockey Association (WAHA) and the Wenatchee Wild have agreed to a partnership for the 2016-17 season.  WAHA will add teams in the Tier 1, U14, U16, and U18 divisions. The goal of these programs will be to provide the top athletes in the area, combined with high level recruits from out of the area, with elite development at the highest level of midget hockey in the country. These programs will feature full-time professional coaching staffs with the development model designed to help players maximize their ability while receiving the exposure needed to move on to the higher levels of the game. 

WAHA President Joe Gurnard commented on the agreement, “I am pleased to build on the success of the Wild’s program by adding a youth component that allows local players an opportunity to train and compete at a high level without having to leave home to do it.  The model of weekend development and games is unique and can keep highly skilled kids from around the state living at home but still competing at a higher level than their local program may provide.” 

Currently, the Wenatchee Wild sponsor two teams, the Wenatchee Wolverines U14 and Wenatchee Wolves U18 teams. The Wolves U18 team will essentially stay the same for the players but will now fall under the WAHA umbrella. It is a hockey-academy style program where players live in Wenatchee, attend school full-time, and train in a highly structured daily environment. The Wolves will remain in the NAPHL, one of the top Tier 1 leagues in the country. 

The Wolverines U14 program is currently a before and after team, where the players play for their hometown program during the season but play for the Wolverines in the fall and spring. The U14 Wolverines program and the new U16 program will now become full-season teams. The U14 and U16 teams will remain a weekend only program. This allows the players live at home and go to school in their hometown during the week. They will travel to Wenatchee for practice/development weekends throughout the year, while also competing in Tier 1 showcases. These Tier 1 showcases will give players high levels of exposure and the opportunity to compete against some of the top teams in the US and Canada while receiving high levels of exposure.  

Highlights of the Wenatchee Wild Development Teams include the following: 

·         Affiliate teams of the Wenatchee Wild (BCHL). 

·         Full-time Junior A and NCAA experienced coaching staff. 

·         Exposure playing in elite Tier 1 AAA showcases. 

·         Compete against some of the best teams in the US & Canada. 

·         High practice to game ratio. 

·         Certified strength and conditioning coaches. 

·         Steva Video utilized for learning high-level hockey concepts. 

·         Bench Metrics utilized for statistical tracking.  

·         Advising designed to help individual players and families navigate the various development routes. 

The Wild Development Teams staff will include Ryan McKelvie, Jake Obermeyer, and at least two more experienced staff member to be hired. McKelvie’s background includes three years as a NCAA D1 assistant coach, three years as a NCAA D3 head coach, and two years as the assistant coach for the Wild. Obermeyer’s background includes a six year professional career in the ECHL and CHL, along with experience as a player in the USHL and NCAA D1 levels. The U14, U16, and U18 players will also have periodic access to the Wenatchee Wild coaching staff which is led by Head Coach/GM Bliss Littler, the all-time winningest coach in US Junior Hockey history at the Tier 1 and 2 levels. 

Littler had this to say about the development teams, “…………..We could not be happier to help fill this void in elite level hockey that is missing in the central part of the state of Washington. This is something we are invested in to make work.  The concept of the U16 and U14 weekend teams make a lot of sense for this part of the country. The player will be able to live at home and go to school with his friends and still be able to compete at a very high level of hockey and be coached by some very high end coaches that have a track record of being very good development coaches. These coaches and programs will have full access to all of the resources that the Wenatchee Wild have. We look forward to helping make these programs something special that everyone involved is proud of.  

The Wenatchee Wild Development Teams will hold tryout camps this off-season. The Wolves U18 tryout camp is scheduled for May 13-15, while the U14 and U16 tryout camps are scheduled for June 3-5. Check the Wild or Wolves website for more details at www.wenatcheewild.com and www.wenatcheewolves.com. 

Battle For The Border

Wolves Sweep Another Norpac Weekend

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wolves won three more games in NPHL play over the weekend, beating the Eugene Generals 3-1 on Friday, February 26^th, 6-2 on Saturday, February 27^th, then returning home to blank the Seattle Ravens 12-0 on Sunday, February 28^th.

On Friday in Eugene, the Wolves outshot the Generals 57-21, overcoming a 1-0 deficit after one to grab the victory. Richie Stickle (Healy, AK) and Hunter Alden (Walla Walla, WA) had a goal and assist each, while Coleton Booth (Delta, BC) scored a goal for Wenatchee, who also got 20 saves from Bronson Moore (Kennewick, WA). The Wolves went 0-for-7 on the power play and 5-of-5 on the penalty kill.

On Saturday in Eugene, Wenatchee scored three times in the first and rolled to the victory, outshooting the Generals 59-38 in the process. Hayden Givens (Portland, OR) had a goal and two assists, while three players, Griffin Wiencek (Sherwood, OR), Jonathan Banovetz (Eagle River, AK) and Tom Ignatovich (Seattle, WA) had a goal and assist each. Max Flynn (Wenatchee, WA) made 36 saves for the Wolves, who went 2-for-7 on the power play and 5-of-5 on the penalty kill.

On Sunday in Wenatchee, the Wolves scored 5 times in the first and 6 times in the second on their way to the 12-0 win over Seattle. Givens scored 3 goals, Brayden Durante (New Westminster, BC) had 2 goals and 3 assists, Otto Chao (Salt Lake City, UT) had 2 goals and an assist, Wiencek a goal and 2 assists and Alden 4 assists. Moore stopped all 15 shots thrown his way for Wenatchee, who went 1-for-5 on the power play and 4-of-4 on the penalty kill.

“Going to Eugene for two games was a good test for our team and I thought our guys responded well.” said Wenatchee Wolves Head Coach Ryan McKelvie. “The first night, we weren’t at our best but the guys played hard for the full game and we were able to pull ahead in the third period. Then, on Saturday the guys were ready to go from the opening faceoff, winning the first period3-0 and then gritted out the remainder of the physical game for a 6-2 win.”

With the three wins, the Wolves improve to 37-1-0-0, 15 points ahead of second-place Bellingham. Wenatchee has now outscored Norpac opponents 252 to 46 this season in racking up records of 18-0-0-0 at home and 19-1-0-0 on the road. The Wolves wrap up regular season play this weekend with a pair of home games against Eugene on Saturday, March 5^th at 4:35pm and Sunday, March 6^th at 2:35pm at the Town Toyota Center’s Community Rink.

WENATCHEE WOLVES NPHL HOCKEY

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Wild Drop Regular Season Finale At Merritt

Merritt, BC. – The Wenatchee Wild battled from behind all night long, tying the game three times, before dropping a 4-3 contest to the Merritt Centennials at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena in Merritt, British Columbia.

Merritt opened the scoring late in the first, as Nick Fiorentino lit the lamp, assisted by Colin Grannary at 14:55, giving the Centennials a 1-0 lead after one.

Wenatchee would pull into a 1-all tie at 5:47 of the second, as Daniel Nachbaur (Seattle, WA) cut through the right circle and put a short shot in the goal at the end of a power play. The tie lasted just a tick under two minutes. Zach Court scored from Michael Faulkner and Tyler Holz at 7:46, putting Merritt back on top, at 2-1. Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON) scored for the Wild from Colin Burston (Winnipeg, MB) at 8:56, tying the game 2-2. But the Cents would grab the lead back on a Brett Jewell goal, assisted by Nick Jermain and Henry Cleghorn at 14:33, giving Merritt a 3-2 lead after two.

Wenatchee scored early in the third to tie it for a third time. Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) scored from along the right wing wall, assisted by Stephan and Alex Bates (Highlands Ranch, CO) just 30 seconds into the final period, tying it 3-3. However, the Centennials’  Jermain scored from Zak Bowles and Court at 16:06. Merritt would hold on from there for the 4-3 win.

The Centennials outshot the Wild 47-28 for the game. Garrett Nieto (Yorba Linda, CA) made 43 stops for Wenatchee, while Merritt’s Cole Kehler had 25 saves for the Centennials. The Wild went 1-for-2 on the power play and 2-of-3 on the penalty kill. “Played well, deserved a better outcome.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “Looking forward to a great series with Langley.”

With the loss, Wenatchee finishes the regular season with a 34-16-4-4; the Centennials finish 23-40-4-1. The Wild opens up the Fred Page Cup Playoffs on Saturday, March 5^th at 7:05pm and Sunday, March 6^th at 5:05pm at the Town Toyota Center, against the Langley Rivermen, in a best-of-seven series.

Battle For The Border

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Wild whip Vipers

Wild Routs Vipers

Vernon, BC. – The Wenatchee Wild scored five times in the first period Friday and rolled to an 8-1 win over the Vernon Vipers, in front of 2,570 at Kal Tire Place in Vernon, British Columbia.

The Wild opened the scoring early, as Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) scored from Bryan Yoon (Parker, CO) and Dakota Raabe (Dana Point, CA) at 2:16, giving Wenatchee a 1-0 lead. They would expand the lead two minutes later, as Joe Drabin (Rochester, NY) scored on the power play, assisted by Raabe and August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) at 7:35, for a 2-0 lead. The Wild would make it 3-0 at 7:39, as Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) found the back of the net for a power play goal, off assists from Conzo and Von Ungern. Then, Charlie Combs (St. Louis, MO) scored an unassisted, short-handed goal at 19:25, giving Wenatchee a 5-0 lead after one.

The Wild added three more goals in the second period, with Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON) getting the first two. The first came at 3:39, assisted by Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) and Colin Burston (Winnipeg, MB). The second, assisted by Yoon and Combs came on the power play at 4:56, giving Wenatchee a 7-0 lead. Raabe would add one more for the visitors at 14:04, assisted by Conzo, putting the Wild up 8-0 after two.

Vernon would scored the only goal of the third period, as Colton McCarthy scored, assisted by Mac Ferner and Joe Sacco at 9:56, making it an 8-1 final in favor of Wenatchee.

The Wild outshot the Vipers 44-28 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 27 stops for Wenatchee, while Andrew Shortridge had 36 saves for Vernon. The Wild went 3-for-4 on the power play and 2-of-2 on the penalty kill with a shorthanded goal. “Good effort all the way around from goaltending out.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “Good special teams. All four lines contributed. Six defense also played hard.”

With the win, Wenatchee sees their record improve to 34-15-4-4 on the season; the Vipers are now 23-31-3-0. The Wild wraps up the regular season schedule at Merritt on Saturday, February 27^th, at 7:30pm. Wenatchee opens up the Fred Page Cup Playoffs on Saturday, March 5^th at 7:05pm and Sunday, March 6^th at 5:05pm at the Town Toyota Center, against the Langley Rivermen, in a best-of-seven series.

Battle For The Border

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Wild Skates To 4-4 Tie With Langley

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild overcame an early two-goal deficit, and then let a two-goal lead slip in the third, in a 4-4 tie with the Langley Rivermen Tuesday night, in front of 2,237 fans at the Town Toyota Center.

Langley scored twice early to open the game. Zac Masson scored from Zachary Bleuler and Jason O’Neill at 1:04, then Ryan Barrow scored from Matthew Graham and Donovan Shambeau at 3:26, giving the Rivermen a 2-0 lead over Wenatchee for the fourth consecutive game played between the two teams. However, the Wild would roar back late in the period with a pair of goals of their own. Matt Baker (Midhurst, ON) scored at 16:32, assisted by August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) and Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV), then Harris scored from Colin Burston (Winnipeg, MB) and Charlie Combs (St. Louis, MO) at 19:34, tying the game 2-2 after one.

Wenatchee would score once in the second to grab the lead. Baker netted his second of the contest, off assists from Harris and Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) at 5:18, putting the Wild up 3-2 after two.

Wenatchee expanded the lead early in the third, as Christensen scored from Konsta Jaske (Samammish, WA) and Combs at 4:34, putting the Wild up 4-2. However, the lead wouldn’t hold. The Rivermen crawled back to within one at 4-3 at 11:23 on a Max Kaufman goal, assisted by Adam Sinclair and Barrow. Then, in the dying moments, Jordan Schneider scored from Justin Szeto and Graham. The goal, coming at 19:59, knotted the game 4-4, forcing overtime.

In the first extra session, Wenatchee outshot Langley 8-1, but neither team could find the back of the net. In the second extra session, the Rivermen outshot the Wild 4-2, but again, neither team scored and the game ended up in a 4-4 tie.

Wenatchee outshot Langley 51-42 for the game. Garrett Nieto (Yorba Linda, CA) made several huge saves amongst his 38 stops for the Wild, while Nickolas Trenciansky had 47 saves for the Rivermen. Wenatchee went 2-for-5 on the power play with a shorthanded goal against and 3-of-4 on the penalty kill. “Proud that we came back from being down two.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “Obviously it’s not good when you give up a two-goal lead in the third period. We got a little selfish. Need to be, want to be playing better hockey once we get into the playoffs, that’s for sure. Got to clean up some things. We keep collecting points; we’ve collected points in twelve straight games. Too bad we threw that one away.”

With the overtime tie, the Wild sees their record move to 33-15-4-4 on the season; Langley is now 31-22-3-2. Wenatchee hits the road to wrap up the regular season schedule at Vernon, 7:00pm on Friday, February 26^th, then at Merritt on Saturday, February 27^th, at 7:30pm. The Wild open up the Fred Page Cup Playoffs on Saturday, March 5^th at 7:05pm and Sunday, March 6^th at 5:05pm at the Town Toyota Center, against the Langley Rivermen, in a best-of-seven series.

Battle For The Border

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Mr. Jones helps lead Vees past Grizzlies

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Wolves Sweep Weekend Set, Continue Roll In Norpac

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wolves completed a weekend sweep in NPHL action, winning in Bellingham 6-1 over the Blazers on Saturday, February 20^th and 9-0 at home over the Seattle Ravens on Sunday, February 21^st.

On Saturday in Bellingham, the Wolves were led by Brayden Durante (New Westminster, BC) who scored twice and Hayden Givens (Portland, OR), who added a goal and two assists. Bronson Moore (Kennewick, WA) made 31 saves for Wenatchee, who went 0-for-5 on the power play and 6-of-6 on the penalty kill.

On Sunday in Wenatchee, the Wolves skated to a 9-0 win over Seattle. Durante scored twice, Tom Ignatovich (Seattle, WA) helped out with a goal and three assists, Givens had a goal and an assist and Anders Johnson (Salt Lake City, UT) chipped in with a pair of assists. Max Flynn (Wenatchee, WA) stopped all 5 shots he faced on the day for Wenatchee. The Wolves went 2-for-6 on the power play and 4-of-4 on the penalty kill.

“The guys are competing hard and playing disciplined.” said Wenatchee Wolves Head Coach Ryan McKelvie. “We hope to continue this day in and day out for the remainder of the season.”

With the two wins, Wenatchee improves to 34-1-0-0, 13 points ahead of second-place Bellingham. The Wolves play three games next weekend: Two games at Eugene on Friday and Saturday, February 26^th and 27^th, then home against Seattle on Sunday, February 28th.

WENATCHEE WOLVES NPHL HOCKEY

Wild Stung By Caps In Overtime

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild scored early in the third but couldn’t hold the lead, losing to the Cowichan Valley Capitals 3-2 Saturday night, in front of 3,418 fans at the Town Toyota Center.

The Wild scored the opening goal as Tyler Rockwell (San Jose, CA) scored from the top of the left circle unassisted at 4:26 of the opening period, giving Wenatchee a 1-0 lead. The Capitals would tie the game just under three minutes later on an unassisted goal by Ryan Burton, making it 1-1 after one.

After a scoreless second period, the Wild would regain the lead on an Aaron Murray (Chino, CA) goal from the right circle. Charlie Combs (St. Louis, MO) and Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) drew the assists at 58 seconds, putting Wenatchee back on top 2-1. However, Adam Osczevski would net the equalizer for Cowichan Valley at 7:59, assisted by Corey Hoffman and Luke Santerno, tying the game 2-2, where, from there, it would proceed to overtime.

The teams would go back-and-forth in the extra session, before Matthew Hudie would break in and score on a backhand, off a feed from Hoffman, giving the Capitals the 3-2 win.

The Wild outshot Cowichan Valley 40-20 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 17 saves for Wenatchee, while Storm Phaneuf had 38 stops for Cowichan Valley. The Wild went 0-for-2 on the power play and 2-of-2 on the penalty kill. “Generally, you get as many chances as we had, you need to find a way to score more than two goals.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “We definitely had enough chances to win that hockey game going away. Good lesson to learn again, about teams hanging around. Shouldn’t let teams hang around and we did and it cost us tonight. Overall the effort was pretty good.”

With the overtime loss, Wenatchee sees their record move to 33-15-4-3 on the season; the Capitals improve to 27-22-3-3. The Wild hosts the Langley Rivermen on Tuesday, February 23^rd, 7:05pm at the Town Toyota Center.

Battle For The Border

Wild Slips Past Grizzlies

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild scored once in each of the first two periods and held serve through the third, skating to a 2-1 victory over the Victoria Grizzlies Friday night, before 2,747 fans at the Town Toyota Center.

The Wild struck first on a wrister from the right circle by Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON), assisted by Bryan Yoon (Parker, CO) at 9:10, giving Wenatchee a 1-0 lead after one.

In the second, the Grizzlies would tie it up on a Jake Stevens goal, assisted by Cole Pickup and PJ Conlon at 5:08, squaring the game at 1-1. Then, just over ten minutes later, Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) would score on a breakaway, assisted by Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) and Yoon at 15:39, giving the Wild a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes.  

The two teams would go at each other in the third period, with Wenatchee holding an 8-7 shots advantage. But, despite pulling their goaltender at the end, Victoria was unable to get the equalizer, as Wenatchee held on for the 2-1 win.

The Wild outshot the Grizzlies 24-17 on the night. Garrett Nieto (Yorba Linda, CA) made 16 saves for Wenatchee, while Matthew Galajda had 22 stops for Victoria. The Wild went 0-for-2 on the power play and 4-of-4 on the penalty kill. “They played a 1970 old-style hockey brand, it was interesting.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “I thought our kids responded well to it. We definitely did not get intimidated. Proud of the effort of our kids tonight. I thought we made a lot of plays.”

Wenatchee, who won for the ninth time in their past ten games, improves their record to 33-15-3-3 on the season; the Grizzlies fall to 22-28-4-0. The Wild hosts the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Saturday, February 20^th, 7:05pm at the Town Toyota Center.

Battle For The Border

Wild Edged By Chiefs In Overtime

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild let a two-goal, third period lead slip away Wednesday night, in a 7-6 overtime loss to the Chilliwack Chiefs, before 2,304 at Prospera Centre in Chilliwack.

Wenatchee got on the board first on a Dakota Raabe (Dana Point, CA) goal, assisted by August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) and Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) at 2:31, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead. Chilliwack would then score twice to take the lead. Darien Craighead scored from Dennis Chowlowski and Taylor Allan at 13:36, then Vimal Sukumaran scored from Craighead and Zach Giuttari at 17:01, putting the Chiefs on top 2-1 after one.

In the second, Charlie Combs (St. Louis, MO) scored for Wenatchee from Daniel Nachbaur (Seattle, WA) and Raabe at 3:52, tying the game 2-2. Craighead would then tie it for Chilliwack, off assists from Olivier Arseneau and Jeremy Germain at 5:21, putting the Chiefs on top, 3-2. A pair of Wild goals would then give the visitors the lead. Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON), assisted by Combs scored at 15:40, then Bryan Yoon (Parker, CO) scored from Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) and Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) at 19:47, giving Wenatchee a 4-3 lead after two.

Chilliwack would tie the game early in the third. Ryan Forbes scored from Germain and Rylan Bechtel at 3:29, knotting the game, 4-4. The Wild would then score twice to regain the lead. Raabe scored from Joe Drabin (Rochester, NY) and Harris at 7:20, then Von Ungern scored from Harris at 11:00, putting Wenatchee on top, 6-4. However, the Chiefs would score twice in 37 seconds to tie it. Craighead scored from Allan and Chowlowski at 11:32, then Germain scored from Kale Kane at 12:09, tying the game 6-6 and sending the contest to overtime.

Late in the extra session, Chilliwack would score to win it, as Chowlowski poked one home from Kane and Connor McCarthy at 4:49, giving the Chiefs the 7-6 win.

Chilliwack outshot Wenatchee 28-21 for the game. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 21 saves for the Wild, while Aidan Pelino and Matteo Esposito combined for 15 stops for the Chiefs. Wenatchee went 2-for-3 on the power play and 4-of-6 on the penalty kill. “Good news is we scored 6 goals against a real good hockey team.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “Bad news is we gave up seven. I thought we played well at times and at other times we played a little selfish. This time of year we’ve been playing real good hockey and been playing team hockey, at times tonight we got a little bit selfish. We need to clean that up if we’re going to make some noise in the playoffs.”

The Wild, who saw their eight-game win streak snapped, slips to 32-15-3-3 on the season, clinching home ice in the first round of the playoffs; Chilliwack improves to 33-12-4-3. Wenatchee now returns home to host Victoria on Friday, February 19^th and Cowichan Valley on Saturday, February 20^th, 7:05pm both nights at the Town Toyota Center.

Battle For The Border

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