Wenatchee Wild Battle to 3-2 Shootout Victory over Vancouver Sunday
WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wenatchee Wild Battle to 3-2 Shootout Victory over Vancouver Sunday

Published on January 12, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild goaltender Tobias Tvrznik vs. the Vancouver Giants
Wenatchee Wild goaltender Tobias Tvrznik vs. the Vancouver Giants
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Russ Alman)

WENATCHEE, Wash. - Sunday's Western Hockey League game at Town Toyota Center between the Wenatchee Wild and Vancouver Giants went the distance...and then some. After the first-ever shootout between the clubs, the Wild and Giants continue to define what it means to defend home ice.

The Wild gutted out a hard-fought, thrilling, and often hot-tempered 3-2 shootout victory, keeping the Giants winless in six trips to the Wenatchee Valley over the past three seasons. The Wenatchee victory came less than 24 hours after Vancouver ground out a 2-1 win over the Wild at Langley Events Centre on Saturday, also keeping Wenatchee's WHL entry winless in six clashes north of the border. The Wild moved to 16-23-1-1 on the season after the win, while Vancouver slid to 18-22-1-2 with the loss.

Wenatchee took a 2-0 lead after one period, thanks in part to a power play goal from Luka Shcherbyna 6:15 into the contest - Shcherbyna roped a shot down the slot and past Kelton Pyne to put the Wild in the lead first. With 6:20 to go in the period, Grady Wedman drove the puck around the net before facing and firing it into the top corner over Pyne's left shoulder for a two-goal advantage.

Adam Titlbach's efforts in the second period ensured the two-goal lead would not last - his sharp-angle toss from the bottom of the right-wing circle cut the lead in half at 8:09, and his shot from the left circle at 12:26 wiped out the remaining Wenatchee advantage.

The teams rolled through the third period and overtime with no additional scoring, sending the matchup to a shootout for the very first time. Mason Kraft went to the top of the net in the second round for the only goal, and Tobias Tvrznik denied all three Vancouver shots to nail down his first shootout victory in a Wenatchee uniform.

In all, Tvrznik turned away 26 Giants shots for his 12 th win of the season. The Wild also notched their 12 th home win of the year, and the winning streak for the home team in the series reached 12 straight since Winnipeg's relocation to Wenatchee in the summer of 2023. Shcherbyna's goal saw him eclipse the 100-point mark in his WHL career, with Levi Benson posting an assist on Shcherbyna's goal for his first helper in a Wild uniform.

The game was a winding, yet highly entertaining affair that lasted more than three hours and saw the Wild post the game's final 14 shots on net, including all six in overtime. The Wild finished 1-for-7 on the man-advantage, and wiped away all six Giants power plays on the night. They are now 52-for-58 on the penalty kill over their last 15 games, building the club's lead on the WHL penalty-killing leaderboard.

Wenatchee spent much of the extra session on the power play thanks to a match penalty assessed to Pyne with 10.3 seconds remaining in the third period. Pyne exited with a no-decision, making 22 saves, while Burke Hood was tagged for the shootout loss despite stopping all seven Wenatchee shots during the final seconds of regulation and the five-minute overtime. Titlbach's two goals marked the only multi-point finish for either side in the game.

Wenatchee welcomes the Portland Winterhawks on Friday for the team's Superheroes & Princesses Night presented by Jimmy John's, with the opening puck drop at Town Toyota Center scheduled for 7 p.m.

Tickets for Friday's game and all regular-season Wild 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.

Check out the Wenatchee Wild Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Images from this story

Wenatchee Wild goaltender Tobias Tvrznik vs. the Vancouver Giants
Wenatchee Wild goaltender Tobias Tvrznik vs. the Vancouver Giants
(Russ Alman)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from January 12, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central