Wild Briefly Extend 2024-25 Season Saturday Before Falling in Overtime, 3-2

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WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wild Briefly Extend 2024-25 Season Saturday Before Falling in Overtime, 3-2

March 23, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild's Luka Shcherbyna on game night
Wenatchee Wild's Luka Shcherbyna on game night
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild)

WENATCHEE, Wash. - The Wenatchee Wild wrapped up their 2024-25 season Saturday at Town Toyota Center, doing so the same way they faced Western Hockey League opponents all season long - with never-give-up grit and gumption, and a willingness to stay on the ice a few extra minutes if necessary.

Wenatchee ended its season by briefly extending it, taking a 3-2 overtime loss to the Everett Silvertips in front of its biggest crowd of the season, as 4,040 fans packed into the "Wolves' Den" to send the team into the offseason, including a pair of 20-year-old forwards who departed the junior ranks Saturday after becoming the faces of the team on and off the ice.

Everett came out flying, putting the first eight shots of the night on the Wenatchee net. The Wild quickly responded in kind, peppering Raiden LeGall with the next seven shots at the other end. However, those - along with the Silvertips' first two power plays - all came out in the wash with a scoreless first period.

The teams hit the net in the second, starting with a throw to the back of the cage from Jesse Heslop inside the right-wing circle at 1:51, giving Everett a 1-0 lead. The Silvertips maintained the lead for almost all of the second period, until 57 seconds remained on the clock - Evan Friesen grabbed a loose puck at the left point, criss-crossing it to Deagan McMillan, who fed it back to Miles Cooper for a sharp-angle goal to send the teams to the dressing room even.

The final 20 minutes saw the action centered on the middle of the period, as Owen Cooper scored on an odd-man rush to put the Silvertips ahead again with 10:48 to play. However, just 59 seconds later, Luka Shcherbyna ripped a shot down the slot and past LeGall to tie things up at 2-2. Everett got the only two shots on net in the overtime, as Jesse Heslop dragged the puck around Brendan Gee and slid it into the net to Gee's left at 2:53, giving the visitors their 48 th and final win of the regular season.

Heslop had the only multi-point showing of the night with his two goals, though Owen Cooper's goal would be a memorable one with the first in his WHL career. Friesen capped his WHL career with an assist in his final game along with an 18-for-24 line at the faceoff dot, as Gee stopped 34 shots for the Wild. LeGall earned his 16 th win of the season, making 38 saves.

The Wild closed out the season with a 23-36-8-1 record, while the Silvertips finished their Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy-winning campaign with a 48-12-4-4 mark, the WHL's best record. Friesen suited up for the last of his 240 WHL games, leading the team with 61 points - his 32 goals, 29 assists and 61 points this season all stand as career-bests. Tye Spencer concluded a 244-game WHL career with 121 points, the bulk of his WHL time spent with the Regina Pats before his acquisition by the Wild at the January trade deadline.

2025-26 season tickets are currently on sale - for more information, call 509-888-7825, or visit 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.

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Images from this story

Wenatchee Wild's Luka Shcherbyna on game night
Wenatchee Wild's Luka Shcherbyna on game night
(Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild)		   

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