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WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wild Fall Victim to Cool Start Friday against Prince George in 6-3 Loss

December 16, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild' Briley Wood on the ice
Wenatchee Wild' Briley Wood on the ice
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Ben Holten/Wenatchee Wild)

WENATCHEE, Wash. - Friday's Western Hockey League game at Town Toyota Center was full of firsts for the Wenatchee Wild and Prince George Cougars.

First place in the WHL's Western Conference. The end of the first half of Wenatchee's first season in the WHL. The first meeting ever between the teams south of the border.

The WHL's top third-period team got off to a hot start in Friday's get-together and staved off a pair of Wenatchee comeback bids as the Cougars picked up a 6-3 win to stay atop the Western Conference standings with one game left on each team's schedule before the holidays. Just 1:09 into the game, Hunter Laing pushed a shot at the front of the net past Daniel Hauser to give Prince George the game's first lead.

Prince George added to its lead with a power play goal from Terik Parascak at 6:33 of the first, and a short-side marker from Zac Funk with 7.7 seconds left made it a 3-0 contest going to the first intermission. The Wild were ready to make a comeback, though, starting with a backhand wraparound from Kenta Isogai at 15:45 of the second period. His one-timer to Briley Wood on the power play helped Wenatchee cut the lead further with 2:41 left in the period.

However, each time the Wild got within reach of tying the game, Prince George had a quick response - Laing scored in transition on the ensuing rush into the Wenatchee zone with 1:59 left in the second, and the Cougars went back to the dressing room up 4-2. Luka Shcherbyna curled a chance inside the post at 1:39 of the third to cut the lead back to 4-3 but Funk got the lead back to two goals just 28 seconds later. His empty-net goal with 1:11 completed the hat trick.

"Starts are not our thing this year. Spotting a team like that three goals in the first period and playing catch-up hockey is going to come back to bite you," said assistant coach Andrew Sarauer. "We knew it was going to happen, so we've got to get the guys to have some better starts. Our guys have got to change some things with the way they prepare, and we've got to start playing that first period with a lot more urgency."

Funk added an assist to his three goals, and Laing finished with two goals for Prince George. Riley Heidt led all scorers with five points, all of them assists. Ty Young earned his 12th win of the season, making 25 saves on 28 Wenatchee shots. Each team earned two power play chances, scoring on one.

Hauser took the loss despite stopping 26 Cougar shots, and the Wild got a goal and an assist apiece from Wood and Isogai. Graham Sward earned an assist as well, moving his scoring streak to nine straight games with at least one point, tying Matthew Savoie for the longest active streak by a Wild player. The Cougars improved their record to 23-9-0-0, while the Wild dropped to 20-11-3-0 with the loss and saw a 12-game home winning streak halted.

The last Wild game before Christmas sees the Everett Silvertips make their first-ever visit to Town Toyota Center on Sunday, for Wenatchee's Daddy-Daughter Night, presented by Jimmy John's. Sunday's opening puck drop between the Wild and Silvertips is slated for 4 p.m. 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.

Check out the Wenatchee Wild Statistics




Images from this story

Wenatchee Wild' Briley Wood on the ice
Wenatchee Wild' Briley Wood on the ice
(Ben Holten/Wenatchee Wild)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from December 16, 2023


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