WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wenatchee Ends Daunting 10-Game, 19-Day Stretch with 7-4 Win Sunday

Published on December 3, 2023 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


WENATCHEE, Wash. - With 10 games on a 19-day stretch of the calendar in November and early December, the recent schedule for the Wenatchee Wild certainly hasn't been an easy one. Coming out of that stretch with standings points in every game, let alone winning eight of them, is a Herculean task in many ways.

However, that's exactly what the Wild accomplished with a 7-4 home victory over the Tri-City Americans on Sunday evening at Town Toyota Center, extending their home winning streak to 12 straight games and their Western Hockey League-best home mark to 13-1. The Wild stand at 19-8-3-0 coming out of the opening weekend of December, while the Americans dropped to 13-12-1-1.

Wenatchee gained the lead four times in the game, starting at 8:24 of the first on Graham Sward's goal after a centering pass that slipped past a Wild player at the net. With 6:54 left in the period, Parker Bell tied it with a shot from the right wing that beat Brendan Gee low. The hosts went to the dressing room up 2-1 thanks to Conor Geekie's goal with 2:11 left on a delayed Tri-City penalty, but Jake Sloan swept in a second-chance marker to tie it again just 20 seconds out of the intermission.

The tie only lasted 47 seconds, thanks to a one-timer from Matt Savoie at the bottom of the right-wing circle. Bell scored again to tie it at 11:46 of the period with a one-timer from just to the right of the slot, but the game's final tie remained for just 90 seconds, as Evan Friesen snapped home a one-timer in front of the net for a 4-3 advantage. Kenta Isogai earned the eventual winner with 49 seconds left in the period, tossing in a shot from just inside the right circle.

That goal was a crucial one, thanks to a long-distance wrister from Pasha Bocharov with 4:57 remaining to drop the Wild lead back to 5-4. Rodzers Bukarts provided the dagger, with a blast from the left faceoff dot with 1:41 left, and holding up at the blue line before walking a stretch pass from Friesen into the empty net with 21 seconds to play.

"Getting seven out of eight points this week with a lot of travel, you've got to tip your hat to the guys digging in and doing their job," said Wild assistant coach Andrew Sarauer. "It's a fun group to coach, and a fun group to watch. These guys are rolling right now. I thought the guys did a good job of keeping them to the outside and trying to limit their chances."

Wenatchee did it all without the benefit of a power play, while the Americans went 1-for-4 on the man-advantage in the game. Geekie reached the four-point plateau for the third straight game, earning a goal and three assists. Sward, Savoie and Friesen all picked up a goal and two assists apiece, and Gee stopped 31 Tri-City shots for his ninth win of the year. Gee has gone the distance since Daniel Hauser's exit from the lineup on November 18 at Spokane, after Hauser sustained an upper-body injury early in that game - seven of his nine victories have come in Wenatchee's most recent three-week stretch.

Bell's two goals and an assist highlighted an evening with four multi-point games for the visitors, including a goal and an assist apiece for Sloan and Bocharov. Lukas Matecha made 27 saves in the loss, slipping to 8-6-1-1 for the year.

The teams match up again in Kennewick on Saturday night as the Ams host their Teddy Bear Toss contest. The opening puck drop at Toyota Center is slated for 6:05 p.m., with live coverage on Newsradio 560 KPQ and WHL Live. Wenatchee returns to the Town Toyota Center ice on Friday, December 15 for their Ugly Sweater Night against the Prince George Cougars, presented by Dick's Heating and Air Conditioning. 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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Western Hockey League Stories from December 3, 2023


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