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WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wild Forward Wood's Historic Friday Leads to WHL Player of the Week Honors

April 1, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild forward Briley Wood looks to slip the puck past Kelowna Rockets goaltender Jari Kykkanen
Wenatchee Wild forward Briley Wood looks to slip the puck past Kelowna Rockets goaltender Jari Kykkanen
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Russ Alman)

WENATCHEE, Wash. - Wenatchee Wild forward Briley Wood helped his group put a major dent in the team's playoff record book in an 8-6 win on Friday night over the Kelowna Rockets. With that effort, he made sure to clear some space on his shelf for a little hardware as well - Wood was named Monday afternoon as the Western Hockey League's Tempo Player of the Week, the sixth different Wild player to be recognized with a weekly award this season.

Wood piled up four goals and two assists in Friday's game, scoring the eventual game-winner and helping the organization earn a win in its first playoff outing since the Winnipeg ICE relocated to Wenatchee during the offseason. He added an assist in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Rockets, pushing his total for the weekend to a league-best seven points.

His four-goal posting was the first by a single player in the WHL playoffs since 2017, and his six points tied a franchise playoff record. The team record book also received some additions that night, tying the team's playoff record with a three-goal comeback for a victory, and the four Wild power play goals was one shy of the team's playoff record in that department.

The native of Rivers, Manitoba enjoyed a breakout regular season in 2023-24, cranking out 28 goals and 34 assists to finish third on the team in scoring in his final season of junior hockey. He totaled 151 regular-season appearances in his WHL career, picking up 32 goals and 37 assists along the way. Wood also played a key role in Winnipeg's final playoff run last season, helping the team reach the WHL Final series. His Player of the Week award is the first for the Wild since Graham Sward picked up the top weekly honors in mid-February.

After splitting the first two games of their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal matchup, the series continues Tuesday in Kelowna, with the opening puck drop at Prospera Place set for 7:05 p.m. The split in the opening two games also means that the Wild and Rockets will play a fifth game at Town Toyota Center Friday at 7 p.m. - tickets for that game are on sale now at 509-888-7825, or by visiting the team office at Town Toyota Center. 2024-25 season tickets also remain on sale - updated news and information on Wild hockey are always available through the team's website and on its social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube.

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Images from this story

Wenatchee Wild forward Briley Wood looks to slip the puck past Kelowna Rockets goaltender Jari Kykkanen
Wenatchee Wild forward Briley Wood looks to slip the puck past Kelowna Rockets goaltender Jari Kykkanen
(Russ Alman)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from April 1, 2024


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