Wolves Edge Bellingham, Win Cascade Cup

Bellingham, WA. – The Wenatchee Wolves completed a tremendous season Friday night, beating the Bellingham Blazers 2-1, taking the Cascade Cup finals 3 games to none, in a game played at the Sportsplex in Bellingham.

Wenatchee scored first on a shot from the high slot, 9 seconds into a 5-on-3 power play, as Raymond Fleming (Palo Alto, CA) scored from Hunter Alden (Walla Walla, WA) at 11:15, giving the Wolves a 1-0 lead. Then, late in the period, Brayden Durante (New Westminster, BC) finished off a 2-on-1, scoring a 4-on-4 goal. Alden and Anders Johnson (Salt Lake City, UT) assisted at 19:36, giving Wenatchee a 2-0 lead after one.

In the second period, both teams had chances on the man advantage, allowing the Wolves to hold a 12-7 shots advantage in the middle stanza, but neither team was able to score, with the contest remaining 2-0 in favor of the Wolves through 40 minutes.

Bellingham would get on the board in the third, as Kevin Duncan would score unassisted at 13:22, cutting the Wenatchee lead to 2-1. The Blazers would amp up the pressure through the waning minutes of regulation, but weren’t able to net the equalizer, as the Wolves hung on for the 2-1 win, taking the series and the Cascade Cup in three straight games.

Wenatchee outshot Bellingham 39-26 on the night. Bronson Moore (Kennewick, WA) made 25 saves for the Wolves, while Broderick Parker had 37 saves for the Blazers. Wenatchee went 1-for-7 on the power play and 5-of-5 on the penalty kill.

“Really proud of our guys.” said Wenatchee Wolves Head Coach Ryan McKelvie. “They obviously had a remarkable season and finished it off by finding a way to win three very tough games against a very tough opponent. I think our guys showed a ton of character and a ton of heart during the series and just really proud of the year they had”

The Wolves win the best-of-five series 3 games to none, winning the team’s first-ever Cascade Cup title. Wenatchee finished the postseason with a 6-0 mark, outscoring their opponents 35-7, on the heels of a 39-1-0-0 regular season mark.

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