WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wild Charge Back from 3-1 Deficit, Defeat Spokane 4-3 Sunday

Published on December 10, 2023 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild's Miles Cooper
Wenatchee Wild's Miles Cooper
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Larry Brunt/Spokane Chiefs)

SPOKANE, Wash. - The Wenatchee Wild will be without three of their best forwards for the short-term future thanks to the upcoming World Junior Championships in Sweden, and the pre-tournament selection camps for those players' respective home countries. Regardless of who's on the ice, the Wild continue to prove they're never out of a game, and that there's plenty of firepower in the lineup.

Wenatchee raced back from a 3-1 deficit at the start of the third period, turning it into a one-goal lead before the five-minute mark, and holding on for the 4-3 win. The victory was Wenatchee's 10th of the season when coming from behind at any point, and sixth comeback victory after being down two goals or more.

The Chiefs got the game off to an ominous start, as Berkly Catton deposited a second-chance goal less than two minutes into the game for a 1-0 advantage. With Spokane on its first power play of the night, Chase Harrington jousted a shot from Chase Bertholet into the top of the net for a 2-0 lead at 14:14 of the opening stanza.

Luka Shcherbyna put Wenatchee on the board at 7:57 of the second, turning around on the left wing and sneaking a sharp-angle chance through Cooper Michaluk to cut the lead to 2-1. With 3:49 left on the clock, though, Cameron Parr set a pass to the net along the goal line and Ben Bonni redirected it past Daniel Hauser to push the lead back out to two goals.

Posting just 13 shots in the first 40 minutes, Wenatchee set out to grab control of the game - Hayden Moore cut the lead to 3-2 at 1:53 of the third, driving the puck across the top of the goal crease before stuffing it into the top of the net. Miles Cooper tossed a shot to the top corner to tie it at 3-3 just 55 seconds later.

At the 4:21 mark and on the power play, Wenatchee completed its takeover of the game, when Kenta Isogai sent a pass across to the left-wing circle - Briley Wood blasted a one-timer to the back of the net for a 4-3 Wenatchee advantage. The Wild held onto the lead through the final 15 minutes and change, allowing just seven third-period shots and hanging on for the win despite a 20-6 Spokane margin at the faceoff dot in the final 20 minutes.

"I wasn't a fan of the start, but I loved the finish," said head coach Roy Sommer. "It was good that they found they can win without (Conor) Geekie and (Matt) Savoie in there. I thought that was a big turning point for us, especially down 3-1 again. The way they battled back, it's in them. They find a way to win, but it's not always pretty."

Isogai notched two assists, extending his point-scoring streak to eight straight games. Graham Sward picked up one assist, extending his own run to seven games. Moore had a goal and an assist to lead the Wenatchee offense. Bertholet had two assists for the Chiefs' only multi-point effort. Hauser earned his 11th win of the season with 25 saves on 28 Wenatchee shots. Michaluk took the loss with 16 saves on 20 Wild chances. Each team saw success on the power play, with Wenatchee going 1-for-4 and Spokane scoring on the first of its two man-advantages.

Next up on the Wild schedule is a visit to Portland to face the Winterhawks Wednesday night. The opening puck drop at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum is scheduled for 7 p.m., with live coverage on Newsradio 560 KPQ and WHL Live. Wenatchee returns to the Town Toyota Center ice on Friday for their Ugly Sweater Night against the Prince George Cougars, presented by Dick's Heating and Air Conditioning. 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 Miles Cooper
Wenatchee Wild's Miles Cooper
(Larry Brunt/Spokane Chiefs)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from December 10, 2023


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