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WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wenatchee Finishes Perfect Homestand with 6-3 Win, Hauser Resets Career Mark with 86th Win

November 5, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild's Daniel Hauser in action
Wenatchee Wild's Daniel Hauser in action
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild)

WENATCHEE, Wash. - The Wenatchee Wild have played seven games since October 20, with six of those coming at Town Toyota Center. Players have come back from injuries, the team has enjoyed a consistent schedule with so much time on home ice, and special teams and goaltending have been among many strong suits on the ice.

The recipe couldn't be sweeter, and after this most recent seven-game stretch, there isn't a hotter team in the Western Hockey League.

The Wild won their seventh straight game on Saturday night, doubling up the Victoria Royals 6-3 in front of 3,757 fans, their largest WHL home crowd to date. Goaltender Daniel Hauser made history with his 33-save performance, earning his 86th career victory to reset the record for the organization, with a WHL heritage dating back to the founding of the Edmonton ICE in 1996.

Kenta Isogai put Wenatchee in front with 4:15 left in the first period, firing a wrist shot from the left edge of the slot to beat Jayden Kraus and give the Wild a 1-0 advantage. The hosts would go to the break up 2-0 - down behind the net, Hayden Moore was still able to slip a pass to Steven Arp, who curled the puck around the post and stuffed it in with 30.4 seconds remaining on the first-period clock.

With two Wild players serving penalties, Austin Zemlak took advantage of the extra manpower with a rocket from above the faceoff circles, putting the Royals back within a goal at 4:25 of the second. Rodzers Bukarts followed up a two-goal night on Friday with another multi-goal game Saturday, starting with a breakaway marker at the 9:22 mark to make it 3-1.

Reggie Newman batted home a backdoor one-timer from Tanner Scott with 7:35 left in the second period, trimming the lead to a goal. The Wild charged to the intermission with a 5-2 advantage, getting a one-timer from Bukarts with 1:36 left in the period and adding a transition goal from Briley Wood with 32.4 seconds on the clock.

Victoria answered back with a goal to the top corner of the net from Scott at 9:28 of the period, but with Wood screening the goaltender on a power play, Conor Geekie backhanded one past Kraus for the game's final goal with 5:37 remaining.

"I thought that was a really good hockey game tonight," said associate head coach Chris Clark. "Victoria's game plan was to come in with a ton of speed and push the play, and they did a good job of chipping pucks in and forechecking and making us go 200 feet, so you've got to give them a lot of credit. I'm also proud of our guys for sticking with it and getting some really timely goals."

11 Wenatchee players finished with at least one point, and six ended the night with more than one. Isogai led the Wild effort with a goal and two assists, while Bukarts posted two goals. Graham Sward also notched two assists, extending his point streak to 16 games, as Wenatchee moved to 10-6-1-0 for the year. Scott and Newman had a goal and an assist apiece for the Royals as they fell to 8-7-1-0.

Up next for the Wild is a three-game road trip through Alberta and Saskatchewan as they face their first Central Division opponents of the year. The Swift Current Broncos will be the first Eastern Conference team to host Wenatchee this season, with Wednesday's game set for a 5 p.m. puck drop. Live coverage is available on Newsradio 560 KPQ and WHL Live.

The Wild return home for a November 15 contest against the Tri-City Americans, presented by LocalTel. 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 Daniel Hauser in action
Wenatchee Wild's Daniel Hauser in action
(Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from November 5, 2023


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