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WHL Wenatchee Wild

Seattle Staves off Wenatchee Comeback Friday, Hangs on for 4-2 Win

October 14, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild's Briley Wood congratulated by team
Wenatchee Wild's Briley Wood congratulated by team
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds)

KENT, Wash. - In all three of their wins this season, the Wenatchee Wild have made a comeback before coming out on top. Friday night, the Wild narrowly missed doing it again, against the defending Western Hockey League champions on their home ice.

Briley Wood and Steven Arp scored goals in the final 2:08 of the second period, almost wiping away a 3-0 Seattle lead, but the Thunderbirds held on through the third and added an empty-net marker late to finish with a 4-2 win at accesso ShoWare Center.

The Thunderbirds pushed the lead out to two with a quick strike just past the 12-minute mark of the opening period, starting with Jeremy Hanzel's face-and-fire goal from the bottom of the slot for a 1-0 advantage. At 12:33, 20 seconds later, Luca Hauf batted in a one-timer from Niko Myatovic for a 2-0 Thunderbird margin.

Seattle got out to a hot start in the second period, getting 12 of the first 13 shots on net out of the intermission. The Wild kept their hosts off the board until Gracyn Sawchyn set up Sam Popowich for a power play goal with 2:33 left in the period, just 21 seconds into a tripping infraction against Arp.

Wenatchee waited no longer to start its comeback bid, with Graham Sward setting up Wood for a wrist shot just 25 seconds later to cut the lead to 3-1. Arp's backhand throw from the bottom of the right-wing faceoff circle with 5.6 seconds left in the period dropped the lead back to a goal, but that was as close as Wenatchee would get - Sawchyn pulled the puck off the end boards and scored a sharp-angle goal into the empty Wild net with 44 seconds remaining to seal the win.

"The biggest thing was to make sure that we came out and had a quick start (to the third period), which I thought we did," said Wenatchee head coach Roy Sommer, making his Wild head coaching debut. "I thought we carried the play to them, and for the most part, I thought it could have gone either way. Our goaltender was a big part of it - I think he gave us a chance to win, and unfortunately, we only got him the two goals."

Daniel Hauser made 35 saves in the loss, as the Wild killed off two of the three Seattle power plays in the game. Sward's assist kept his point streak going, with at least one point in all seven games since his return from Nashville Predators preseason training camp. Wood's goal pushed his scoring streak to six straight games with a point.

Scott Ratzlaff made 22 saves for his second win of the season. Three Thunderbirds finished with more than one point, led by Hanzel with a goal and two assists.

This week's schedule is a quiet one with the Wild playing only on Friday, but things heat up again next week with three games, starting with the final game on Wenatchee's eight-game road swing. That game is set for Wednesday in Kennewick against the Tri-City Americans - the opening puck drop at Toyota Center is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., with live coverage on Newsradio 560 KPQ and WHL Live.

The Wild return to home ice on Friday, October 20 as the Vancouver Giants come in for the team's Wild About Awareness Non-Profit Night presented by Papa Murphy's Pizza, while the Brandon Wheat Kings come to Wenatchee for Healthcare Workers Night presented by Columbia Valley Community Health the following evening. Tickets for those games and all Wenatchee Wild 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 Briley Wood congratulated by team
Wenatchee Wild's Briley Wood congratulated by team
(Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from October 14, 2023


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