Wenatchee Wild Claim Season's First Road Win, Han Bags First WHL Goal in 4-2 Win Friday
WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wenatchee Wild Claim Season's First Road Win, Han Bags First WHL Goal in 4-2 Win Friday

Published on October 25, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild's Caelan Joudrey on game night
Wenatchee Wild's Caelan Joudrey on game night
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Cherie Morgan/Penticton Vees)

PENTICTON, British Columbia - Rui Han only got to make one appearance for the Wenatchee Wild this season before getting a bite from the injury bug. When Han returned to the ice on Friday against the Penticton Vees, he immediately made it clear that he was about to make up for lost time.

Han sliced his way through the Penticton defense for his first Western Hockey League goal halfway through the third period as the Wild charged back from a two-goal deficit and earned a 4-2 victory at South Okanagan Events Centre, claiming the club's first road win of 2025-26. The victory was also the first for the Wild organization on its former British Columbia Hockey League rival's home ice since February of 2019. Wenatchee's record climbed to 2-6-1-1 on the season, while the Vees' mark slipped to 6-4-1-1.

The game got off to an ominous start, when Easton LaPlante sent a shot over Tobias Tvrznik's right shoulder just 2:03 into the contest to put Penticton in front first. Diego Johnson doubled the lead at 8:51 of the second period, slotting a sharp-angle chance from the left wing into the top corner of the net.

After staying even with the Vees over the game's first six shots on goal, the Wild went 20 minutes without one, while their hosts fired off 10 straight. Still, Wenatchee remained within reach, and made its move in the final minutes of the second period - Luka Shcherbyna threw the puck ahead up the left wing, and with Han blocked off in his attempt to play the pass, Shcherbyna hustled to the loose puck and hurled it past Jesse Sanche with 2:36 left in the period to trim the lead to 2-1.

With 2:24 to go, the lead was gone - Boston Tait's shot from the left point bounded out front for Caelan Joudrey to punch in, tying the game going to the final 20 minutes. Han's eventual winner came off a pass from Michal Capos in the Wenatchee zone, and Han took it through three Vees defenders and through three dekes before dribbling it past Sanche to tie the game.

A series of penalties in the final minutes allowed Wenatchee to take a 5-on-3 power play in the game's final 60 seconds, and Zane Saab used a second-chance pitch from the left-wing hash marks to put the Wild ahead by two with less than five seconds to go in the game.

Shcherbyna's goal was his sixth of the year, extending his team lead, while Tvrznik wrapped up the night with 32 saves for his second WHL victory in net. Sanche was saddled with the loss, making 18 saves. The Wild went 1-for-4 on the power play, and were tagged for only one penalty kill on the night, wiping away a first-period infraction.

The Wild return home Saturday to face the Tri-City Americans and begin a five-game homestand with their HOWL-oween promotion, presented by Carl's Jr. The opening puck drop at Town Toyota Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Tickets for Saturday'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

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Images from this story

Wenatchee Wild's Caelan Joudrey on game night
Wenatchee Wild's Caelan Joudrey on game night
(Cherie Morgan/Penticton Vees)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from October 25, 2025


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