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West Kelowna Warriors take series lead over Penticton Vees

Wolves Sweep Bellingham, Lead Finals 2-0

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wolves opened Cascade Cup finals action at the Community Rink in Wenatchee, winning 3-2 in overtime on Friday, March 25^th and 2-1 on Saturday, March 26^th, taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five finals.

On Friday, March 25^th, Bellingham led 2-1 after two, following a scoreless first period. Richie Stickle (Healy, AK) scored from Brayden Durante (New Westminster, BC) at 4:06, then in the third, Tom Ignatovich (Seattle, WA) scored from Hunter Alden (Walla Walla, WA) and Will Connors (Richland, WA) at 3:20, to tied the game 2-2. In the overtime, Coleton Booth (Delta, BC) scored at 9:06, assisted by Jonathan Banovetz (Eagle River, AK), winning the game for Wenatchee, 3-2. The Wolves outshot the Blazers 41-23. Bronson Moore (Kennewick, WA) made 21 saves for Wenatchee, who went 0-for-5 on the power play and 4-of-4 on the penalty kill.

On Saturday, March 26^th, the Wolves edged Bellingham 2-1. Hunter Hegdahl (Brookings, SD) scored from Hayden Givens (Portland, OR) and Anders Johnson (Salt Lake City, UT) at 6:24 of the first, a lead they would carry into the third. Bellingham tied it 1-1 2 minutes into the period, but Hegdahl scored his second of the game, assisted by Anders Johnson (Salt Lake City, UT) at 12:20. Wenatchee would make that stand up as the game-winner, taking the contest 2-1. Max Flynn (Wenatchee, WA) stopped 16 shots for the Wolves, who went 0-for-9 on the power play and 5-of-6 on the penalty kill.

“Our guys have battled really hard so far this series.” said Wenatchee Wolves Head Coach Ryan McKelvie. “I think two good teams giving it everything they have and we’re going to have to be ready to step it up even one more notch next weekend when we travel to Bellingham on Friday.”

Wenatchee leads the best-of-five series 2 games to none. Game three is in Bellingham on Friday, April 1^st. If game four is needed, it will be in Bellingham on Saturday, April 2^nd. If the series extends to a deciding game five, it would be in Wenatchee on Sunday, April 3^rd.

Wenatchee Wolves NPHL Hockey

Dowd First Wild Alum To Reach NHL

Wenatchee, WA. – Nic Dowd has become the first former Wenatchee Wild player to reach the National Hockey League, appearing for the Los Angeles Kings in a game against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, March 22^nd in a 2-1 Kings’ loss.

Dowd, a 6’2” 196 pound, 25 year old center from Huntsville, Alabama, played for the Wenatchee Wild during the 2008-2009 season, scoring 16 goals and adding 33 assists for 49 points, with 71 penalty minutes in 43 games. He went on to play one season with Indiana in the USHL, then played four seasons of collegiate hockey at St. Cloud State, where he compiled numbers of 52 goals and 69 assists in 155 games, with 143 penalty minutes, and was also a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to college hockey’s top player, his senior season. After college, Dowd, a seventh round L.A. pick in 2009, played in the Kings’ organization starting with Manchester in the AHL at the end of the 2013-14 season. He played the following season in Manchester, and then appeared in 57 games with AHL Ontario this season, with 13 goals, 34 assists and 47 penalty minutes. Dowd, in two games with Los Angeles this week, is a plus-1, with 2 penalty minutes. “We are extremely excited for Nic as he takes the next step in his career.” said Wenatchee Wild Assistant Coach Chris Clark. “Nic was not only a great player for us our first season but also a fantastic person. I look forward to following what I hope is a long NHL career for Nic.”  

The Wenatchee Wild recently finished their season in the second round of the BCHL playoffs. Next up are tryout camps for the 2016-17 BCHL season. Information on those camps will be available on the team’s website, wenatcheewildhockey.com.

Battle for the Border

Wild Season Ends In Overtime Loss To Chiefs

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild and Chilliwack Chiefs fought through three periods with no decision, before an overtime power play paved the way for a Chilliwack goal, giving the Chiefs a 3-2 win, giving them the series in five games.

Chilliwack scored first for the fourth straight game, as Jordan Kawaguchi scored 1:19 into the contest, assisted by Rylan Bechtel and Kale Kane, putting the Chiefs on top, 1-0. Wenatchee would tie it up on a Charlie Combs (St. Louis, MO.) power play goal, assisted by Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON) and Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) at 8:45, knotting the game 1-1 after one.

After a scoreless second in which the Wild held a 14-5 shots advantage, Chilliwack would regain the lead in the third on a Dennis Chowlowski unassisted goal at 10:07, putting the Chiefs back on top, 2-1. However, Wenatchee’s Bryan Yoon (Parker, CO.) would rip one home from the mid-slot, off a feed from Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV). Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) also assisted on the goal at 14:28, tying the game 2-2, forcing overtime.

In the extra session, a penalty on the Wild at 5:03 set up Chilliwack with a power play. And, it would take just 15 seconds for Kawaguchi to punch home a rebound at 5:18, assisted by Kane and Vimal Sukumaran, powering the Chiefs to the 3-2 win and a 4-1 series victory.

Wenatchee outshot Chilliwack in the game 33-30. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 27 saves for the Wild; Aidan Pelino made 31 saves for Chilliwack. Wenatchee went 1-for-2 on the power play and 3-of-4 on the penalty kill. “That’s a tough pill to swallow tonight.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “I thought we played exceptionally well, we played well enough in games 2,3,4,and 5, that we could have been celebrating tonight, coming off the ice with a 4-1 series win, we played that well. We had our chances for the breaks, their goaltender made a big save. I thought that Chase Perry gave us a chance all five games. I thought he was our MVP in the playoffs. I think this group, there were plenty of times we were down a goal or two throughout the year, couldn’t be more proud. I don’t think they ever gave up. We battled hard. I think we got everyone’s best game this year. I think people were fired up to play a team from the United States and no doubt there was a lot of patriotism on the ice. Just proud of the effort.”

The Wild finishes the season in the second round of the BCHL playoffs. Next up are tryout camps for the 2016-17 BCHL season. Information on those camps will be available on the team’s website, wenatcheewildhockey.com.

Battle for the Border

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Wild Drops Game Four To Chiefs

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild battled hard all night but a pair of goals against in the second period spelled defeat for the Wild, as the Chilliwack Chiefs skated away with a 4-2 victory in game four of the Mainland Division title series, in front of 1,956 at the Town Toyota Center.

Chilliwack would open the scoring 2:57 into the contest on a Ryan Forbes unassisted goal. The marker would give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead after one.

In the second, Chilliwack would up the lead to 2-0 on a Darien Craighead goal, assisted by Jake Smith at 5:03. But, Wenatchee would battle back. Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) scored, off assists by Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) and Charlie Combs (St. Louis, MO) at 7:16, slicing the deficit to 2-1. Then, three minutes later, Combs blew one past the goaltender’s catch glove and in, assisted by Bryan Yoon (Parker, CO) and Daniel Nachbaur (Seattle, WA) at 10:20, knotting the game for the Wild at 2-2. However, a pair of goals 24 seconds apart would put the Chiefs back on top. Craighead scored unassisted at 13:33, and then Dennis Chowlowski scored from Jordan Kawaguchi at 13:57, putting Chilliwack back on top, at 4-2.

Both teams battled hard throughout the third period, but Wenatchee was unable to light the lamp, as the Chiefs held on for the 4-2 win and a 3 games to 1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

The Wild outshot Chilliwack in the game 38-29. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 25 saves for Wenatchee; Aidan Pelino made 36 saves for Chilliwack. The Wild went 0-for-1 on the power play and 1-of-1 on the penalty kill. “I think we let one slip away there.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “We played awful well tonight. Some of the bounces went their way, but I thought it was an extremely well played game by both teams. Look forward to getting after it Thursday night in Chilliwack.”

Wenatchee trails the second round, best-of-seven series 3 games to 1. Game five takes place in Chilliwack on Thursday, March 24^th. If game six is needed, it would be in Wenatchee on Friday, March 25^th, with a game seven if needed set for Chilliwack on Saturday, March 26^th.

Battle For The Border

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Wild Tops Chiefs in Game Three

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild broke open a one-goal game with three third period goals Monday night, defeating the Chilliwack Chiefs 5-1, in front of 2,285 at the Town Toyota Center.

The Chiefs would grab the lead first, as Jeremy Germain scored from Mark Esposito and Darien Craighead at 9:06, giving Chilliwack the 1-0 lead. The Wild would tie it up a short time later, as Daniel Nachbaur (Seattle, WA) ripped one home from the left circle. Dakota Raabe (Dana Point, CA) and Tyler Rockwell (San Jose, CA) assisted at 11:05, tying the game 1-1.

In the second, Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) scored from Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) and Charlie Combs (St. Louis, MO) at 7:00, giving Wenatchee a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes.

The Wild would bust the game open with a three-goal third. Combs scored from the slot, with Harris and Christensen drawing the assists at 4:20, for a 3-1 Wenatchee lead. Then, off a scramble at the right post, Raabe would poke one home, off an assist from Matt Baker (Midhurst, ON) at 10:31. The power play goal upped the Wild lead to 4-1. August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) would then file one into an empty net at 13:05, assisted by Raabe and Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY), giving Wenatchee the 5-1 win, narrowing the series deficit to 2-1.

The Wild outshot the Chiefs 33-32 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 31 saves for Wenatchee; Aidan Pelino and Matteo Esposito combined for 28 saves for Chilliwack. The Wild went 1-for-5 on the power play and 2-of-2 on the penalty kill. “Obviously proud of our effort.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “Being down 0-2, some teams would pack ‘er in and say had a good season, but we had a lot of fight in us tonight. I thought we had to grind quite a bit. I’m looking forward to tomorrow night. I’m sure with us and Chilliwack, we’ve had great games all year, that I would expect nothing but another great game tomorrow.”

The Wild trail the second round, best-of-seven series 2 games to 1. Game four takes place in Wenatchee Tuesday, March 22^nd at 7:05pm at the Town Toyota Center. Game five will be at Chilliwack on Thursday, March 24^th. If game six is needed, it would be in Wenatchee on Friday, March 25^th, with a game seven if needed set for Chilliwack on Saturday, March 26^th.

Battle For The Border

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Wild Lose Heartbreaker At Chilliwack

Chilliwack, B.C. – The Wenatchee Wild fought hard all night long, but surrendered a goal in the final moments Saturday, losing to the Chilliwack Chiefs 3-2 Saturday night, in front of  1,846 at the Prospera Centre in Chilliwack.

Chilliwack would lead 1-0 after one on a Kale Kane power play goal, assisted by Vimal Sukumaran and Dennis Chowlowski.

In the second, the Chiefs would up the lead to 2-0, on a goal by Chowlowski at 3:48, assisted by Austin Adam and Kohen Olischefski. However, Wenatchee would battle back. Joe Drabin (Rochester, NY) would drive home the puck off a goal-mouth scramble, to get the Wild on the board at 5:40, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

In the third, the two teams battled hard, with the score remaining 2-1 Chilliwack. Then, late in the period, Colin Burston (Winnipeg, MB) tipped one home, assisted by Alex Bates (Highlands Ranch, CO) at 18:39, bringing Wenatchee even at 2-2. But, just as the game appeared headed to overtime, Kane scored on a frantic scramble, assisted by Jordan Kawaguchi at 19:37 and the Chiefs would go on from there for the 3-2 win and a 2-0 series lead.

The Wild outshot Chilliwack 28-27 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 24 saves for Wenatchee; Aidan Pelino had 26 saves for the Chiefs. The Wild went 0-for-3 on the power play and 3-of-4 on the penalty kill. “That’s a tough one to take.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “But, at the end of the night, our compete level was much greater than it was in game one. I saw a lot of heartbeat in the locker room afterwards, where I don’t think our kids have checked out. I think we get back to our place, we’ve got to hold serve, that we’ve got to find a way to win a game up here. But right now, we need to concentrate on getting as healthy as we can, taking care of our bodies and having ourselves ready to go back on Monday. ”

The Wild trail the second round, best-of-seven series 2 games to none. The series now shifts to Wenatchee for games three and four on Monday, March 21^st and Tuesday, March 22^nd at 7:05pm both nights at the Town Toyota Center.

Battle For The Border

The Wild's Joe Drabin backhands home a second-period goal past Chilliwack goaltender Aidan Pelino.

(Photo credit to Damon James)

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Wild Drop Series Opener At Chilliwack

WILD DROP SERIES OPENER AT CHILLIWACK

Chilliwack, B.C. – The Wenatchee Wild and Chilliwack Chiefs went back-and-forth against each other all night long, but a third period goal just shy of the 12 minute mark was the difference maker, as the Chilliwack Chiefs took a 4-3 victory in game one of the second round series, in front of 1,507 fans at Prospera Centre in Chilliwack.

Colin Burston (Winnipeg, MB) opened the scoring early in the first, deflecting the puck off his skate and into the net. Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) assisted at 2:58, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead. The Chiefs would knot the score halfway through the period, as Vimal Sukumaran scored from Jordan Kawaguchi and Connor McCarthy at 10:01, making it a 1-1 game after one.

Burston would score another, off assists from Coyne and Aaron Murray (Chino, CA) at 3:53 of the second, putting Wenatchee on top, 2-1. 10 minutes later, Sukumaran scored again for Chilliwack, assisted by Austin Adam and Kale Kane at 13:42, tying the game 2-2 through two.

The Chiefs would take their first lead of the night on Sukumaran’s third of the night, assisted by Kawaguchi and Rylan Bechtel at 7:59 of the third, putting Chilliwack on top, 3-2. But, the Wild’s Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) would shove one in from in close. Murray and Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) assisted at 10:09, squaring things at 3-3. However, Darien Craighead scored from Jeremy Germain and Jesse Lansdell at 11:42 and the Chiefs would hold on from there for the 4-3 win.

Chilliwack outshot Wenatchee 33-19 for the game. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 29 saves for the Wild; Aidan Pelino had 16 saves for the Chiefs. Wenatchee went 0-for-2 on the power play and 3-of-3 on the penalty kill. “Chilliwack showed a lot more compete than we did tonight.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “In a playoff series we need to compete harder. We want to get back in this tomorrow night, that’s what it going to take. It’s going to take more compete from all 20 guys, more of an outright team effort. We take care of pucks, we break pucks out, we play a team game on the forecheck. We do those things, we’ve shown throughout the course of the year that we can be a pretty good hockey club when we do those things. That’s what it’s going to take to even the series up tomorrow.”

The Wild trail the second round, best-of-seven series 1 game to none. The two teams will play Saturday night in Chilliwack at 7:00pm. The series will then shift to Wenatchee for games three and four on Monday, March 21^st and Tuesday, March 22^nd at 7:05pm both nights.

Battle For The Border

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Wolves Close Out Tri-Cities To Win Series

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wolves hosted the Tri-Cities Outlaws at the Community Rink at Town Toyota Center Tuesday, winning 9-1 and taking the best-of-five, first round NPHL series 3-0.

Wenatchee scored three times in 1:51 to take command of the game. Then a late goal gave the Wolves a 4-1 lead after one. Wenatchee would add 2 in the second and 3 more in the third, to skate away with the series clinching 9-1 win. Coleton Booth (Delta, BC) scored three times, Hayden Givens (Portland, OR) twice, while Richie Stickle (Healy, AK) and Anders Johnson (Salt Lake City, UT) added a goal and assist each. Raymond Fleming (Palo Alto, CA) chipped in with a goal and 3 assists. Max Flynn (Wenatchee, WA) stopped 14 shots for the Wolves, who went 4-for-5 on the power play and 4-of-4 on the penalty kill.

“I thought our guys had a good series.” said Wenatchee Wolves Head Coach Ryan McKelvie. “They played disciplined, worked hard and stayed focused for the entire series.”

Wenatchee wins the series in 3 straight. They now await the winner of the Bellingham-Eugene series, which stands 2-0 in favor of Bellingham. They play Friday night in Eugene.

WENATCHEE WOLVES NPHL HOCKEY

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Wolves Open Post Season With Pair Of Wins

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wolves opened the NPHL playoffs over the weekend, beating the Tri-Cities Outlaws twice: 9-2 on Saturday, March 12^th and 10-0 on Sunday, March 13^th.

On Saturday in Wenatchee, the Wolves rolled to the 9-2 win, outshooting Tri-Cities 60-19. Griffin Wiencek (Sherwood, OR) paced the attack with 2 goals and an assist. Other contributors included Hunter Alden (Walla Walla, WA), Richie Stickle (Healy, AK), Hayden Givens (Portland, OR), Denton Hymer (Wenatchee, WA), Coleton Booth (Delta, BC) and Will Connors (Richland, WA) who scored a goal and assist each. Max Roth (Wilmette, IL) scored the other goal for Wenatchee, while Max Flynn (Wenatchee, WA) made 17 saves. The Wolves went 3-for-8 on the power play and 2-of-2 on the penalty kill.

On Sunday in Kennewick, Wenatchee scored a 10-0 win. The Wolves, who outshot the Outlaws 59-12, got 3 goals and an assist from Givens, 2 goals and 2 assists from Booth, a goal and assists each from Wiencek and Connors, plus single goals from Stickle, Hunter Hegdahl (Brookings, SD), and Anders Johnson (Salt Lake City, UT). Bronson Moore (Kennewick, WA) stopped all 12 shots he faced for Wenatchee, who went 1-for-4 on the power play and 2-of-2 on the penalty kill.

“So far in the series, the guys have done a nice job of playing with good habits.” said Wenatchee Wolves Head Coach Ryan McKelvie. “We’ll continue to focus on that on Tuesday.”

With the two wins, the Wolves take a 2 games to none lead in the best-of-five series. Wenatchee continues post-season play against Tri-Cities. Game three is set for Tuesday, March 15^th at Wenatchee. If games 4 and 5 are needed, they will be Friday, March 18^th at Kennewick and Sunday, March 20^th at Wenatchee.

WENATCHEE WOLVES NPHL HOCKEY

Wild Close Out Series With Win In Langley

Langley, B.C. – The Wenatchee Wild put together another solid game Friday night, beating the Langley Rivermen 3-1in a game played at the George Preston Recreation Centre in Langley, British Columbia. The Wild win the series in five games.

Colin Burston (Winnipeg, MB) scored from in front to put Wenatchee on the board first. The power play goal, assisted by Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON) and Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) at 11:54, gave the Wild a 1-0 lead after one.

Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) scored on a partial breakaway in the second period. Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) assisted on the goal at 8:50, giving Wenatchee a 2-0 lead through two.

The Rivermen would climb back in the game with a power play goal halfway through the third. Cameron Ginetti scored from Dominic Franco at 10:11, but despite Langley’s best effort, they could get no closer. Stephan sealed the game with an unassisted empty netter shot from inside his own zone at 19:46, giving the Wild the game and the series with the 3-1 win.

Wenatchee outshot Langley 27-25 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 24 saves for the Wild; Bo Didur had 24 saves for the Rivermen. Wenatchee went 1-for-2 on the power play and 4-of-5 on the penalty kill. “This series was a good test for us.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “Chase Perry was outstanding. We had very good special teams and timely scoring. I am also proud of all the adversity we faced and fought through it. Looking forward to the series with Chilliwack.”

The Wild win the first round, best-of-seven series 4 games to 1. Next up for Wenatchee is a second round matchup with the Chilliwack Chiefs. Dates for that series are yet to be determined.

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Wild Put Together Solid Effort To Beat Langley

Langley, B.C. – The Wenatchee Wild played solid hockey from start to finish Wednesday night, beating the Langley Rivermen 5-0, taking a 3 games to 1 lead in the best-of-seven first round series, in a game played at the George Preston Recreation Centre in Langley, British Columbia.

Matt Baker (Midhurst, ON) opened the scoring on a rebound of a Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON) shot at 12:58 of the opening period, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead after one.

Then Stephan scored from Colin Burston (Winnipeg, MB) and Aaron Murray (Chino, CA) at 5:48 of the second, giving Wenatchee a 2-0 lead through 40 minutes.

The Wild would then add three goals in the third. Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) scored from Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) and Dakota Raabe (Dana Point, CA) at 8:47, for a 3-0 Wenatchee lead. Stephan would then score a shorthanded goal from Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) at 14:44, for a 4-0 Wild lead. Harris would round out the scoring by batting a one-hander into the goal for a power play counter, assisted by Baker and August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) at 16:47 and Wenatchee would hold on from there for the 5-0 win.

The Wild outshot Langley 40-29 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 29 saves for his first post season shutout for Wenatchee; Bo Didur made 35 stops for Langley. Wenatchee went 1-for-7 on the power play and 6-of-6 on the penalty kill. “Overall, very good night.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “Chase Perry was outstanding. Had a lot of guys all in tonight.”

The Wild now lead the first round, best-of-seven series 3 games to 1. They can wrap up the series in Langley on Friday, March 11^th, beginning at 7:00pm. A Rivermen win would force a game 6 at the Town Toyota Center on Sunday, March 13^th at 8:05pm PDT. Game 7, if needed, would be also be in Wenatchee on Monday, March 14^th at 7:05pm.

Battle For The Border

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Wild Take Series Lead With Overtime Win

Langley, B.C. – The Wenatchee Wild shot out to a 4-goal, first period lead Tuesday, then were forced to overtime, where a lucky bounce found the back of the net, giving the Wild a 7-6 win over the Langley Rivermen and a 2 games to 1 lead in the best of seven series, in a game played at the George Preston Recreation Centre in Langley, British Columbia..

Charlie Combs (St. Louis, MO) scored on the power play at 4:38, assisted by Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) and Colin Burston (Winnipeg, MB), giving Wenatchee a 1-0 lead. Combs would score again moments later, assisted by Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) at 6:04, putting the Wild up 2-0. Then, Daniel Nachbaur (Seattle, WA) scored, assisted by Matt Baker (Midhurst, ON) and Brandon Puricelli (St. Louis, MO) at 12:18, to make it 3-0 Wenatchee. Combs would complete the hat trick off a feed from Harris at 13:31 and the Wild were up 4-0. Langley would then strike twice. Jason O’Neill scored from Jordan Schneider and Zac Masson at 15:14 and Torrin White scored from William Campion on the power play at 16:07. Those goals cut the Wenatchee lead to 4-2 after one.

The Rivermen would forge a tie with a pair of goals in the second. Ryan Barrow scored from O’Neill and Cameron Ginetti at 6:36, and then White scored on the power play from Matty Saharchuk and Matthew Graham at 7:53, tying the game 4-4. The Wild would then score twice to regain the two-goal lead. Baker scored from Tyler Rockwell (San Jose, CA) at 8:49 to make it 5-4 Wenatchee. Then, August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) scored, helped by Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) at 11:09, giving Wenatchee a 6-4 lead after 40 minutes.

In the third, Langley scored twice more to tie it once again. Graham scored from Max Kaufman and Alec Capstick at 4:32, and then Justin Szeto scored from Dominic Franco and Zac Masson at 16:08, tying the game 6-6 and forcing overtime.

The overtime, however, was over in less than a minute. Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON) rushed through the right wing circle, and then from behind the goal line, threw the puck to the front of the net. There, it bounced off a defenseman and in. The unassisted goal, coming just 18 seconds into the extra session, gave the Wild the 7-6 win.

Wenatchee outshot the Rivermen 33-31 for the game. Garrett Nieto (Yorba Linda, CA) and Chase Perry (Andover, MN) combined to make 25 saves for the Wild, while Bo Didur and Nickolas Trenciansky teamed for 26 stops for Langley. Wenatchee went 1-for-4 on the power play and 2-of-4 on the penalty kill. “We faced a lot of adversity in many forms.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “We found a way to win.”

The Wild now lead the first round, best-of-seven series 2 games to 1. The series remains in Langley for games Wednesday and Friday, March 9^th and 11^th, 7:00pm each night. If the series extends beyond that, games 6 and 7, if needed, would be in Wenatchee on Sunday, March 13^th at 8:05pm PDT and Monday, March 14^th at 7:05pm.

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BCHL News

Clippers shut out Bulldogs to even series

Wolves Finish Season With Sweep Of Eugene

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wolves completed a record-setting season in the Northern Pacific Hockey League over the weekend, beating the Eugene Generals 7-2 on Saturday, March 5^th and 4-1 on Sunday, March 6^th at the Community Rink in Wenatchee.

On Saturday, the Wolves rolled to the 7-2 win, outshooting Eugene 48-10. Hayden Givens (Portland, OR) scored 3 goals, Hunter Hegdahl (Brookings, SD) scored twice, as did Richie Stickle (Healy, AK). Griffin Weincek (Sherwood, OR) added 4 assists. Max Flynn (Wenatchee, WA) made 8 saves for Wenatchee, who went 2-for-12 on the power play and a stellar 11-of-11 on the penalty kill. The Wolves outshot Eugene 48-10 on the night.

On Sunday, Wenatchee outshot the Generals 49-28, skating to the 4-1 win. Hegdahl scored twice, Denton Hymer (Wenatchee, WA) and Hunter Alden (Walla Walla, WA) once each, while Bronson Moore (Kennewick, WA) stopped 27 saves for the Wolves, who went 1-for-7 on the power play and 3-of-3 on the penalty kill.

“I’m proud of the guys for setting the NPHL regular season record today.” said Wenatchee Wolves Head Coach Ryan McKelvie. “It takes an extraordinary and consistent effort to do something like that and our guys earned it this regular season. We are excited for the post-season to start and hope to continue our team success.”

With the two wins, Wenatchee finished with a best-ever 39-1-0-0 record, 17 points ahead of second-place Bellingham. The Wolves outscored Norpac opponents 263 to 49 this season in racking up records of 20-0-0-0 at home and 19-1-0-0 on the road. Wenatchee opens post-season play with an opening round series with the Tri-Cities Outlaws. Games are set for March 12^th in Wenatchee, March 13^th at Kennewick, March 15^th at Wenatchee, March 18^th at Kennewick and March 20^th at Wenatchee.

WENATCHEE WOLVES NPHL HOCKEY

Wild Even Series With Overtime Win

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild built a pair of two-goal leads, but ended up going overtime, where they would take a 4-3 win over the Langley Rivermen, in front of 1,790 at the Town Toyota Center.

After a scoreless first period, Wenatchee would score twice in the second to take the lead. Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) scored from August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) and Dakota Raabe (Dana Point, CA) at 2:29, then Charlie Combs (St. Louis, MO) swept home a shot from the slot at 3:51, assisted by Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) and Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL), putting the Wild on top through 40 minutes, 2-0.

In the third, Alec Capstick scored for Langley from Torrin White and Dominic Franco at 4:07, cutting the Wenatchee lead to 2-1. Matt Baker (Midhurst, ON) would regain the two-goal lead for the Wild, assisted by Daniel Nachbaur (Seattle, WA) and Joe Drabin (Rochester, NY) at 9:51, putting Wenatchee on top, 3-1. However, the Rivermen would roar back with two goals late in the period. Adam Sinclair scored from Zac Masson and Ryan Barrow at 17:13, then, with the net emptied for an extra attacker, William Campion scored from Alec Capstick and Matthew Graham at 19:52, tying the game 3-3 and forcing overtime.

In the extra session, the Wild would be rewarded for their efforts with a goal by Harris from the right circle, assisted by Christensen at 9:30, giving Wenatchee the 4-3 win.

The Wild outshot Langley 43-30 for the game. Garrett Nieto (Yorba Linda, CA) made 27 saves for Wenatchee, while Bo Didur had 39 stops for the Rivermen. The Wild went 0-for-3 on the power play and 3-of-3 on the penalty kill. “Thought we played pretty well.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “Disappointed that we gave up a lead, but overall it was a pretty good effort.”

The first round, best-of-seven series is now tied a game apiece. The series now moves to Langley for games Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, March 8^th, 9^th and 11^th, 7:00pm each night. If the series extends beyond that, games 6 and 7, if needed, would be in Wenatchee on Sunday, March 13^th at 8:05pm PDT and Monday, March 14^th at 7:05pm.

Battle For The Border