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WHL Wenatchee Wild

Isogai Nets First WHL Hat Trick as Wild Roll to 6-3 Win Over Kelowna

January 7, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild's Kenta Isogai and Graham Sward on game night
Wenatchee Wild's Kenta Isogai and Graham Sward on game night
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild)

WENATCHEE, Wash. - When the Wenatchee Wild have come off the ice with a loss this season, it's been a rarity when they step off the ice with another one in their next game.

After dropping a 6-2 decision to the first-place Prince George Cougars on Wednesday, the Wild were intent on not repeating that result in Saturday's Western Hockey League affair with the Kelowna Rockets. Wenatchee scored five straight goals and getting a hat trick from Kenta Isogai in a 6-3 win over the Rockets, who came into Saturday with wins in 11 of their last 15. Isogai's five points marked a new career high and his first junior hat trick.

Isogai scored 5:03 into the game on a 2-on-1 shorthanded chance, but Andrew Cristall scored halfway through the period on a second chance after Daniel Hauser denied Tij Iginla on multiple dekes in front of the Wild net. Wenatchee took the lead for good with 6:58 left in the first, tallying on the power play as Miles Cooper pitched in a second-chance goal from Graham Sward's initial shot.

Isogai stretched the lead to 3-1 just 1:50 into the second period, sliding in a transition shot from the left wing under Jake Pilon. Wenatchee pushed the lead to three goals at the end of a third-period power play, with the help of two new players - Maddix McCagherty and Josh Fluker helped set up a mid-slot one-timer from Hayden Moore at 5:12 of the third for a 4-1 Wenatchee lead.

Already with three points, Isogai found Evan Friesen in the low slot to make it a 5-1 lead at the 7:38 mark, before hitting the top corner of the net to finish the hat trick with 10:18 remaining in the game. Kelowna did its best to stay in the game in the final minutes, getting a backdoor tap-in goal from Dylan Wightman at 11:27 of the third period and a sneak just under the crossbar from Iginla with 3:50 remaining, pushing the Rockets back within three goals before the final horn.

"Any time your special teams is good, it's usually a recipe for success," said Wild assistant coach Andrew Sarauer. "Any time you get a shorthanded goal, that just creates momentum and energy, because it puts the other team down and gets the building rocking. We got two special teams goals early, and the penalty kill held the fort later on. The guys really did a good job keeping the play to the outside for the most part, and we held them in check."

In addition to Isogai's five-point night, Sward closed the night with three assists to pass the 150-point threshold for his WHL career. Briley Wood and Karter Prosofsky finished with two assists apiece. Iginla had a goal and an assist to pace the Rockets in the loss, while Caden Price finished with two assists. Each team enjoyed success on the power play, as the Rockets finished 1-for-2 on the man-advantage, while the Wild went 1-for-4.

Hauser closed the night with 31 saves, earning his 15th of the year and 93rd of his WHL career, while Jake Pilon stopped 20 of 25 Wild shots to take the loss. Jari Kykkanen came on in relief for the final 12:22, stopping nine of the 10 Wild shots he saw. Wenatchee stayed in the race for the U.S. Division's top spot at 24-13-3-0, while Kelowna dropped to 18-17-2-0 and saw a three-game winning streak halted.

Wenatchee's seven-game homestand continues next Sunday for Youth Hockey Night against the Everett Silvertips, presented by Wenatchee Clinic Pharmacy, with the opening puck drop at Town Toyota Center scheduled for 4 p.m. Tickets for that game and all home regular-season contests are on sale now at 509-888-7825, or by visiting the team office at Town Toyota Center. Updated news and information on Wild hockey are always available through the team's website and on the team's social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

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Images from this story

Wenatchee Wild's Kenta Isogai and Graham Sward on game night
Wenatchee Wild's Kenta Isogai and Graham Sward on game night
(Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from January 7, 2024


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