Koch Catches Fire in Third as Wild Fall Saturday at Tri-City, 3-2
WHL Wenatchee Wild

Koch Catches Fire in Third as Wild Fall Saturday at Tri-City, 3-2

Published on October 5, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild battles the Tri-City Americans
Wenatchee Wild battles the Tri-City Americans
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: John Keller/Tri-City Americans)

KENNEWICK, Wash. - As the Wenatchee Wild and Tri-City Americans squared off in Western Hockey League play Saturday at Toyota Center, one thing was certain and another was likely - one team was going to nab its first win of the 2025-26 season, and it was likely going to be a battle to the final buzzer.

That expectation proved true on both counts - Cash Koch scored two goals in an 85-second span of the third period to push the Americans past Wenatchee by a final count of 3-2, continuing a lengthy stretch of close games between the two teams. Saturday's tilt was the fifth straight between the Ams and Wild to finish in a one- or two-goal decision. The Americans climbed to 1-3-0-0 on the season, while Wenatchee's record dropped to 0-2-1-1.

The Wild drew first blood 11:56 into the game, as Drew Smith's shot from the right point clipped off of Mason Kraft in front of the net to give Kraft his first WHL goal and Wenatchee a 1-0 lead. 90 seconds out of the intermission, Savin Virk pitched a wrist shot from the top corner of the left-wing circle past Tobias Tvrznik's left shoulder, tying the game at 1-1.

A brief Zamboni breakdown led to a 40-minute delay for ice maintenance between the second and third periods, and Koch found fresh legs with 6:30 left in regulation - as a Wild power play began, an outlet pass from Charlie Elick found Koch on the left wing, and the puck ran away from Koch and into the net just before a goal-line collision between him and Tvrznik.

Three seconds after the end of Wenatchee's power play, and with 5:05 remaining in the game, Koch ran off with a loose puck at neutral ice and threw in a breakaway chance to stretch the lead to 3-1. However, with 1:08 to go and Tvrznik on the bench for an extra attacker, the Wild picked up a power play thanks to a tripping call to Alexander Laing - the power play lasted only 12 seconds, thanks to a shot from Kraft and a rebound that Aiden Grossklaus was able to punch in. Tvrznik went to the bench again for the game's final 40 seconds, but Wenatchee was never able to even the score again.

Koch tacked on an assist to Virk's second-period goal in addition to his third-period markers, and Xavier Wendt earned his first WHL win, making 26 saves on 28 Wenatchee shots. Jake Gudelj also had two assists for the Ams in the win.

Kraft enjoyed his first multi-point game with a goal and an assist, and Smith and Brandon Osborne were credited with their first WHL assists as well. Tvrznik made 32 saves in the loss, but the Wild special teams combined to go 7-for-8, wiping away all six Tri-City chances and going 1-for-2 on the power play. Grossklaus's power play goal erased a streak of 13 unsuccessful chances for Wenatchee. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Wild in Kennewick.

Wenatchee returns home Sunday for its Mom and Son Night against the Penticton Vees, with the opening puck drop at Town Toyota Center slated for 4 p.m. Live coverage of Sunday's game is available on 1340 The Hawk, and streaming on Victory+.

Tickets for Sunday's game and all regular-season home games are on sale now by phone 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, X, Instagram and YouTube.

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Images from this story

Wenatchee Wild battles the Tri-City Americans
Wenatchee Wild battles the Tri-City Americans
(John Keller/Tri-City Americans)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from October 5, 2025


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