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WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wild Defensemen Score Three Goals In 6-3 Win Over Regina Friday

February 29, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


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

WENATCHEE, Wash. - The Wenatchee Wild forced the Regina Pats to take the lead three separate times in Wednesday's Western Hockey League matchup at Town Toyota Center, but for Wenatchee, grabbing the lead once was all it took.

The Wild wrapped up Regina's first-ever visit to Wenatchee by scoring four unanswered goals in a 6-3 win, earning their 20th home victory of the season and cutting their magic number to clinch a WHL playoff spot to just four points. Three of the six Wenatchee goals in Wednesday's game were scored by defensemen, as the Wild moved to 7-3 on the season against Eastern Conference competition.

The first of the Pats' power plays saw Braxton Whitehead collect a second chance in front of the net and toss it into the top corner with 8:08 left in the first period - the Wild answered with a goal from Rodzers Bukarts, tipping Karter Prosofsky's right-point one-timer past Kelton Pyne with 5:06 remaining.

Tanner Howe found the puck just outside the crease near a stick battle and tossed it into the goal with 3:59 left in the period to give the Pats a 2-1 lead, but Wenatchee tied the game again on another right-wing shot from Prosofsky at 3:28 of the second. Logan Peskett banked a shot off the crossbar to give Regina a final lead at the 8:41 mark, and one final time, the Wild erased the lead with 4:22 remaining in the stanza, on Kenta Isogai's goal from the right faceoff dot.

Graham Sward gave Wenatchee its first lead with 2:08 left, fluttering a shot through from the left point for a 4-3 advantage. Jonas Woo gave the hosts their first insurance at the 8:11 mark of the third, walking the puck through the right-wing circle and sneaking a shot under the crossbar for a two-goal lead. With 6.5 seconds left in the game, Isogai captured a loose puck in front of the benches and jogged it in to give the Wild their final margin.

"I thought the guys came out and competed all night," said assistant coach Andrew Sarauer. "Guys were moving pucks really well, and we pushed the pace most of the game. There were a couple of breakdowns here and there, but that's going to happen, and I thought the guys responded really well after going down. The guys couldn't seem to grab the lead after we'd tie it up - they'd come back every time, but in the second period, the guys finally broke through with that power play goal, and the dam broke and we took control for most of the second half of the game."

Isogai wrapped up the night with a pair of goals, while Sward and Prosofsky each finished with a goal and two assists. Sward added a seventh game to his current point streak, his third such run for the Wild this season. Wenatchee finished 1-for-3 on the power play, and wiped away three of Regina's four power play chances on the night. They would get 18 saves from Brendan Gee in his 14th win of the season, moving to 31-24-4-0 for the year, while Pyne made 30 saves as the Pats fell to 21-33-4-2 on the season.

The Wild welcome the Moose Jaw Warriors on Sunday for Pucks & Paws presented by Stetner, with the opening puck drop set for 4 p.m. Tickets for that game and all home regular-season games are on sale now at 509-888-7825, or by visiting the team office at Town Toyota Center. Wild playoff packages and 2024-25 season tickets are now on sale as well - 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 Rodzers Bukarts and Luka Shcherbyna on game night
Wenatchee Wild's Rodzers Bukarts and Luka Shcherbyna on game night
(Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from February 29, 2024


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