Penticton Vees Return to Wenatchee, Carry Home 5-1 Win in First WHL Meeting
WHL Wenatchee Wild

Penticton Vees Return to Wenatchee, Carry Home 5-1 Win in First WHL Meeting

Published on October 6, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild forward Luka Shcherbyna (foreground, 27) helps to guard the net
Wenatchee Wild forward Luka Shcherbyna (foreground, 27) helps to guard the net
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Russ Alman)

WENATCHEE, Wash. - For the Wenatchee Wild and Penticton Vees, what is old is new again. The two teams renewed a dormant rivalry from their British Columbia Hockey League era Sunday, meeting for the first time as Western Hockey League foes at Town Toyota Center. The Vees took off for three goals in the second period, and that middle stanza proved the difference in a 5-1 Penticton victory, as Wenatchee continues the hunt for its first win of the season.

After 34 regular-season meetings in the BCHL, the Vees struck first in Sunday's game, as Doogan Pederson's shot from the left point bounced out front for Diego Johnson to tuck into the net at the 9:36 mark of the first to give Penticton the 1-0 advantage. The Wild got it back less than three minutes later after Drew Smith's pass up the right-wing boards to Luka Shcherbyna - his heave evaded goaltender Andrew Reyelts, finding the top corner of the cage to even up the game going to the intermission.

At 5:19 of the second, a toss from Nolan Stevenson caromed off of Tristan Petersen's stick and leapt past Tobias Tvrznik to put the Vees ahead to stay, and they extended the lead with a one-timer from Ethan Weber to Jacob Kvasnicka on the power play at 11:54.

The Wild looked to have escaped further harm going to the third, but a pop-up from Johnson with 7.4 seconds left in the period headed for the goal line, and Brandon Osborne's diving effort to sweep away the puck came up just a split-second short. Johnson earned his second goal of the game, and the Vees went to the dressing room with a three-goal advantage.

Wenatchee racked up 20 shots on the Penticton net in the third, but none found the back of the cage. With Morgan Tastad exiting the penalty box at the end of a hooking infraction, Stevenson found him for an outlet pass, and Tastad scored uncontested into the empty Wild net with 1:45 to go.

Johnson's two goals and Stevenson's two assists headlined the effort for the Vees, while Reyelts earned his third WHL win behind 32 saves. Shcherbyna extended his team lead with his fourth goal of the season, and Tverznik took the loss with 30 stops.

Both special-teams units got their share of work, with the Vees going 2-for-8 on the power play, while Wenatchee finished scoreless on seven tries. Penticton improved to 4-2-0-1 on the season, with the Wild moving to 0-3-1-1 coming out of the first of nine three-in-three weekends on the schedule.

Wenatchee's schedule continues Friday with a visit to the Spokane Chiefs, before returning home for their Daddy/Daughter Night against the Seattle Thunderbirds next Sunday. Friday's opening puck drop at Numerica Veterans Arena in Spokane is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Live coverage of Sunday's game is available on Newsradio 560 KPQ, and streaming on Victory+.

Tickets for next 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 forward Luka Shcherbyna (foreground, 27) helps to guard the net
Wenatchee Wild forward Luka Shcherbyna (foreground, 27) helps to guard the net
(Russ Alman)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from October 6, 2025


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