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WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wild Charge Again in Third, Defend Late Lead for 3-2 Win Thursday Over Victoria

December 29, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild's Briley Wood on game night
Wenatchee Wild's Briley Wood on game night
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild)

WENATCHEE, Wash. - After a Wednesday night get-together with the Spokane Chiefs in which the Chiefs outlasted Wenatchee for three third-period goals and a 5-2 win, the Wild weren't about to allow for a repeat in front of their home crowd 24 hours later. Down a goal going to the third, Luka Shcherbyna buried a goal early in the final stanza to tie the game, and Briley Wood played a pivotal carom for another game-winning marker, giving the Wild a 3-2 triumph over the Victoria Royals in Western Hockey League play Thursday at Town Toyota Center.

Even more critically, the Wild remained in front of Portland for first place in the WHL's U.S. Division standings, after the Winterhawks outgunned Seattle for an 8-5 win Thursday. Wenatchee moved to 22-12-3-0 for the season and a league-best 15-2 at home, while the Royals slipped to 21-13-0-2 with the loss to fall three points back of the Wild in the Western Conference race.

The early jump belonged to Wenatchee, firing off nine of the game's first 10 shots and 16 of the first 19. Victoria's third shot of the night found the back of the net, though, when Alex Edwards scored on a forehand drag with 11.2 seconds remaining in the first period. The Wild tied it back up when Wood tag-teamed with Miles Cooper for a goal at 3:37 of the second, but Edwards scored again for the Royals on a delayed penalty call six minutes later.

As they'd done 10 times already this season, Wenatchee responded with enough force to take the lead and defend it - Shcherbyna scored on a drop-back pass from Cooper at 5:12 of the third, and a shot from Brayden Pankey at the left point took a hop off of a defender to find Wood in front of the net for the decisive toss-in at the 9:08 mark.

"I love that line (of Shcherbyna, Cooper and Hayden Moore) right now," said assistant coach Andrew Sarauer. "They're three of the younger guys in the league, and Sherby's on a heater right now and it's fun to watch. He's got one of the greatest releases I've seen in this league, and he's a guy who can rip the puck. When he gets it in the slot, he can put the puck in the net, and (Cooper) just made an all-world pass to him and did a great job entering the zone."

Cooper and Wood each finished with a goal and an assist, while Edwards had Victoria's only multi-point game with his two markers. Thursday's game was the third straight win in which Wood buried the winner, while Shcherbyna notched a goal in his sixth straight game, tying the longest goal-scoring streak in the organization in the last seven years. Daniel Hauser took care of his end of the work, stopping 28 Victoria shots to earn his 13th win of the season, as did the penalty-killing units that each went 2-for-2.

Wenatchee continues a seven-game homestand on Sunday as the Seattle Thunderbirds make a visit to wrap up the calendar year, with the opening puck drop at 4 p.m. Sunday's New Year's Eve game is the team's "Restoring the Roar in '24" contest to celebrate the New Year's holiday, presented by Anderton Family Dental, featuring a balloon drop and free rally towels to the first 1,000 fans in the door. It's also Wenatchee's latest Fred Meyer Sunday Funday promotion.

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 Briley Wood on game night
Wenatchee Wild's Briley Wood on game night
(Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from December 29, 2023


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