Wild Loses Close One At Prince George

Prince George, B.C. – The Wenatchee Wild came up short in their quest for a fourth straight win, losing to the Prince George Spruce Kings 3-2 Friday night, in front of 1,119 at the Prince George Coliseum.

Prince George would score the lone goal of the opening period, as Bryan Basilico scored from Matthew Stief and Adam Brubacher at 18:07, giving the Spruce Kings a 1-0 lead after one.

In the second, the Wild tied it on a Dakota Raabe (Dana Point, CA) goal. Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) and Bryan Yoon (Parker, CO) assisted at 2:22, squaring the game at 1-1. However, Prince George would regain the lead just 58 seconds later, as Adam Brubacher scored from Connor Logan and Parker Colley at 3:20, putting the Spruce Kings back on top after two, 2-1.

It would remain a one-goal game until past the midway point of the third period, when Joe Drabin (Rochester, NY) scored for Wenatchee on a mad scramble at the right post. Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) drew the lone assist at 11:56, tying the game 2-2. Prince George would regain the lead 3 ½ minutes later, as Dante Raposo scored from Stief at 15:35. The Spruce Kings would hold that lead the rest of the way, skating away with the 3-2 win.

The Wild outshot Prince George 29-17 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 14 saves for Wenatchee, Sam Tanguay had 22 saves for the Spruce Kings. The Wild was 0-for-0 on the power play and 0-of-0 on the penalty kill, as there were no penalties called in the entire game. “We need to find a way to bury our better chances.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “We definitely out-chanced them, had the much better of the chances, but our best chances, we’re not finding a way to score.”

With the loss, the Wild slips to 11-5-2-1 on the season, still in sole possession of first in the Mainland Division, while the Spruce Kings improve to 5-12-0-1. Wenatchee returns home to face Coquitlam on Friday and Saturday, November 6^th and 7^th at the Town Toyota Center starting at 7:05pm PST both nights. Tickets are available at the door, at the Wild office, or by calling 509-888-7825 or 509-888-7274.

Battle For The Border

Wild Blanks Prince George

Prince George, B.C. – The Wenatchee Wild overcame a slow start Thursday night, grabbing their second-straight shutout, knocking off the Prince George Spruce Kings 3-0 at the Prince George Coliseum.

The Wild would score once in the first period, with Bryan Yoon (Parker, CO) getting credit for the goal. Matt Baker (Midhurst, ON) assisted at 12:26, giving Wenatchee a 1-0 lead after one.

Following a scoreless second period, the Wild would score twice in the third to put it away. Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON) scored from Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) and Yoon at 13:07 on a 4-on-4, giving Wenatchee a 2-0 advantage. Then, in the final minute, Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) would drive an unassisted goal into an empty net, giving the Wild the 3-0 win.

Wenatchee outshot Prince George 25-17 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 17 saves for the Wild for his second career BCHL shutout, extending Wenatchee’s shutout streak to 126:23. Sam Tanguay had 22 saves for the Spruce Kings. The Wild was 0-for-7 on the power play and 2-of-2 on the penalty kill. “Good road win for us.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “We saw a completely different style of hockey tonight. Prince George, they played a very defensive game, they chipped a lot of pucks out, there weren’t many out-numbered chances either way, but overall it’s a road win. Chase Perry was good in goal. I thought we got better as the game went on.”

With the win, the Wild improves to 11-4-2-1 on the season, sitting in sole possession of first in the Mainland Division, while the Spruce Kings slip to 4-12-0-1. Wenatchee plays at Prince George on Friday, October 30^th, then returns home to face Coquitlam on Friday and Saturday, November 6^th and 7^th at the Town Toyota Center starting at 7:05pm PST both nights. Tickets are available at the door, at the Wild office, or by calling 509-888-7825 or 509-888-7274.

Battle For The Border

Wolves Grab Yet Another Sweep

WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee Wolves, proud members of the Northern Pacific Hockey League, had another successful weekend in the NPHL, defeating the Bellingham Blazers twice in Bellingham, 2-0 and 7-1.

In Friday, October 23rd’s 2-0 win over Bellingham, Thomas Hendry (Salt Lake City, Utah) and Richie Stickle (Healy, AK) scored the goals, while Max Flynn (Wenatchee, Washington) stopped all 22 shots he faced for the Wolves, who went 1-for-6 on the power play and 3-of-3 on the penalty kill.

On Saturday, October 24^th, 12 different players registered points, in a 7-1 win. Hendry and Jack Newhouse (Anchorage, AK) led the way with two goals apiece. Bronson Moore (Kennewick, WA) made 32 saves for Wenatchee, which went 1-for-5 on the power play and 4-of-4 on the penalty kill.

“It was a good weekend to go on the road and obviously get two wins.” said Wenatchee Wolves Head Coach Ryan McKelvie. “It’s good for our young team to learn how to play day in and day out and go on the road after a long trip to Minnesota and still perform at a high level. I thought our energy was low on Friday, but the guys responded well on Saturday with a good win against a good team.”

The Wolves are 9-0-0-0 on the season, 6 points ahead of Eugene in the NPHL standings. The Wolves next play against the Seattle Ravens, in Seattle on Friday, October 30^th at 6:35pm and then in Wenatchee on Saturday, October 31^st at 2:35pm.

WENATCHEE WOLVES NPHL HOCKEY

Wild Blanks Surrey

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild controlled the game from start to finish, beating the Surrey Eagles 8-0 Sunday night in front of 2,254 at the Town Toyota Center.

Wenatchee would score three times in the first. Joe Drabin (Rochester, NY) scored at 4:33, assisted by Matt Baker (Midhurst, ON), giving the Wild a 1-0 lead. Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) added to the lead with a shorthanded goal, assisted by August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) at 11:02, making it a 2-0 game. Then, at 17:39, Josh Bell (St. Louis, MO) scored from Matt Burchill (Marshfield, MA), giving the Wild a 3-0 lead after one.

Wenatchee would add three more in the second. Baker scored a power play goal from Drabin and Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) at 41 seconds for a 4-0 lead. Alex Bates lit the lamp at 9:55, assisted by Logan Milliken (Canmore, AB) and Christensen, increasing the lead to 5-0. Then, at 10:16, Drabin scored from Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) and Dakota Raabe (Dana Point, CA), putting the Wild up 6-0 after two.

In the third, Wenatchee would put the game away with a pair of power play goals in the third. Raabe scored from Coyne and Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) at 6:26, then Drabin rounded out his hat trick with a goal assisted by Christensen and Harris at 17:01 and the Wild would go on to win it, 8-0.

Wenatchee outshot Surrey 51-19 on the night. Garrett Nieto (Yorba Linda, CA) made 19 saves for the Wild for his first career BCHL shutout, while Daniel Davidson and Jason Sandhu combined to make 43 saves for the Eagles. Wenatchee was 3-for-6 on the power play and 4-of-4 with a shorthanded goal for on the penalty kill. “All the way around, there’s not much not to like with the effort tonight.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “All four lines, six D, Nieto, everyone played well. On the weekend, we got 5 of 6 again, progress. Taking steps in the right direction. A long way to go but we’re definitely seeing progress.”

With the win, the Wild improves to 10-4-2-1 on the season, sitting in sole possession of first in the Mainland Division. The Eagles are now 4-12-0-0. Wenatchee plays at Prince George on Thursday and Friday, October 29^th and 30^th, then returns home to face Coquitlam on Friday and Saturday, November 6^th and 7^th at the Town Toyota Center starting at 7:05pm PST. Tickets are available at the door, at the Wild office, or by calling 509-888-7825 or 509-888-7274.

Battle For The Border

Wild Outguns Surrey

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild won a run and gun game with the Surrey Eagles Saturday night, winning 7-5 in front of 3,112 at the Town Toyota Center.

After an Owen Johnson goal, assisted by John Wesley and Ty Westgard gave Surrey the lead 58 seconds into the contest, Joe Drabin (Rochester, NY) would strike twice. The first, just 12 seconds after the Eagles had taken the lead, was assisted by Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) and Matt Baker (Midhurst, ON) at 1:10, tying the game 1-1. Drabin’s second goal, assisted by Alex Bates (Highlands Ranch, CO) and Baker at 7:55, gave Wenatchee the lead 2-1. Surrey’s Kyle Star scored from Matthew Hermary at 13:29 to tie the game 2-2, but the Wild would score late in the period to regain the lead. Dakota Raabe (Dana Point, CA) scored at 18:21, with Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON) and Matt Burchill (Marshfield, MA) drawing the assists, giving Wenatchee a 3-2 lead after one.

The Eagles would strike quickly in the second to square the score. Darius Davidson scored a shorthanded goal from Nick Azar 18 seconds into the second, tying the game 3-3. However, the Wild would respond as they did in the first. Logan Milliken (Canmore, AB) fired one home, with the assists going to Stephan and Bryan Yoon (Parker, CO) at 44 seconds. The power play goal put Wenatchee on top for good, at 4-3. They would grab a two-goal lead on another power play goal, this one by Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL). Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) and Drabin assisted at 7:52, putting the Wild up 5-3. After a Darius Davidson goal from Ty Westgard at 10:16 brought Surrey within one at 5-4, Wenatchee would regain the two-goal lead at 7-5, as August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) scored, assisted by Christensen and Drabin at 17:51, putting the Wild up 6-4 after two.

In the third, the Eagles’ John Wesley netted a power play goal from Kodi Schwarz and Tyler Andrews at 13:57, drawing Surrey within one, at 6-5. But Wenatchee would hold on from there, adding a Conzo empty net goal at 19:42 from Milliken and Drabin, giving the Wild the 7-5 win.

Wenatchee outshot the Eagles 48-28 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 23 saves for the Wild and Daniel Davidson had 41 saves for Surrey. Wenatchee was 2-for-7 on the power play and 4-of-5 on the penalty kill. “It’s nice to score a lot of goals.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “We made a lot of plays tonight. Nice to score seven. You’re never happy giving up five. Both teams were opportunistic, I was just happy with our overall effort.”

With the win, the Wild improve to 9-4-2-1 on the season, moving back into sole possession of first in the Mainland Division. The Eagles are now now 4-11-0-0. The Wild stay home to face Surrey on Sunday, October 25^th, at the Town Toyota Center starting at 7:05pm. Tickets are available at the door, at the Wild office, or by calling 509-888-7825 or 509-888-7274.

Battle For The Border

Wild Tie Alberni Valley

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild fell behind late, but responded quickly to tie the game, en route to a 3-3 tie with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, in front of 2,507 at the Town Toyota Center.

After a scoreless first period, Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON) would slam the puck into a wide open net, to put the Wild on the board. Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) assisted on the power play goal at 5:15, putting Wenatchee up 1-0. The Bulldogs would tie it less than two minutes later, as Nathan Dingmann scored from Tyler Cooper at 6:59. That goal knotted the game at 1-1. However, Bryan Yoon (Parker, CO) blew home a point shot for a power play goal at 15:19, assisted by Coyne and Logan Milliken (Canmore, AB), giving the Wild a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes.

In the third, Alberni Valley scored twice to take the lead. Dingmann scored a power play goal from Scott Clark at 16:14 to tie it 2-2, then Cooper scored from Dingmann at 18:16, putting the Bulldogs on top, 3-2. But, Wenatchee would respond less than a minute later, as August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) poked home a loose puck for the game-tying goal. The assists went to Matt Burchill (Marshfield, MA) and Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) at 18:56 and the game was tied 3-3.

The two teams battled through a 5-minute 4-on-4 overtime, then a 5-minute 3-on-3 overtime with no scoring and the game would end in a 3-3 tie.

The Wild would outshoot Alberni Valley 36-35 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 32 saves for Wenatchee and Carson Schamerhorn had 33 saves for the Bulldogs. Wenatchee was 2-for-6 on the power play and 3-of-4 on the penalty kill. “That was an interesting game.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “Obviously, we played a lot of hockey in the month of October, that you could see that legs on our team were a factor. Kind of wore down towards the end but I give our kids credit, we found a way, we battled back, that will probably be an awful big point for us at some point in the season.”

With the tie, the Wild move to 8-4-2-1 on the season, tied for first in the Mainland Division with Chilliwack. Alberni Valley is now 4-7-1-1. The Wild stay home to face the Surrey Eagles Saturday and Sunday, October 24^th and 25^th. Both contests at the Town Toyota Center start at 7:05pm. Tickets are available at the door, at the Wild office, or by calling 509-888-7825 or 509-888-7274.

Battle For The Border