Wild Newcomers Score Three in 5-2 Preseason Win over Portland Saturday
WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wild Newcomers Score Three in 5-2 Preseason Win over Portland Saturday

Published on September 13, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild defenseman Drew Smith
Wenatchee Wild defenseman Drew Smith
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: John Keller/Tri-City Americans)

KENNEWICK, Wash. - The Wenatchee Wild couldn't have won Saturday's Western Hockey League preseason game against the Portland Winterhawks without contributions from a few of their unsung up-and-comers...and they got plenty of those contributions.

Wenatchee got three goals from its rookie group, two of which came from defensemen, in a 5-2 victory over Portland at the annual Tri-City Americans preseason showcase at Toyota Arena. The Wild racked up a 4-0 lead after two periods, and extinguished a Winterhawks comeback attempt in the final minutes after seeing their lead narrowed to two goals.

First-year defenseman Drew Smith had a hand in both first-period goals, throwing the puck to Zane Saab wide of the cage - Saab tossed a sharp-angle shot on the net and his rebound caromed out front to Grady Wedman, who stuffed it home just 2:29 into the game. A long bounce off a right-point shot from Smith found Brandon Osborne along the left-wing boards, and his wrist shot raced past Blake Clark for a 2-0 Wenatchee lead with 5:08 left in the period.

The Wild doubled their lead in the middle stanza - Maddix McCagherty hammered home a point-blank rebound off a shot from Alexandre Andre at the 8:09 mark of the second, and Josh Toll made it a 4-0 game with 3:14 left in the period by racing to the net and slipping the puck to his backhand before shoveling it into the top of the net.

Portland got into the conversation in the game's final eight minutes, when Finn Spehar knocked home a backdoor one-timer from Jordan Duguay with 7:54 remaining and Kyle McDonough squeaked one past Tobias Tvrznik early on a Winterhawks power play with 4:51 to go. Shaun Rios silenced the comeback bid with an empty-net goal from the Wenatchee zone with 2:13 to play.

The game was a feisty one, as the teams combined for 48 penalty minutes and 12 power plays. Portland was the only team to capitalize, going 1-for-5 on the man-advantage while turning away all seven Wild chances.

Smith finished with the only multi-point game, thanks to his two first-period assists, while Tvrznik notched his first unofficial win with the Wild behind 19 saves, and Clark picked up 22 saves for Portland in the loss. All five goal-scorers for Wenatchee posted their first goals of the preseason in Sunday's victory.

The final game of the preseason for Wenatchee is also the Western Hockey League's final game this preseason, as the Wild return to Kennewick Sunday afternoon to face off with the Tri-City Americans. The opening puck drop at Toyota Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Single-game tickets are now available for all 34 Wenatchee Wild home dates this year, and 2025-26 season tickets also remain on sale - for more information, call 509-888-7825, or visit 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, X, Instagram and YouTube.

Check out the Wenatchee Wild Statistics

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Images from this story

Wenatchee Wild defenseman Drew Smith
Wenatchee Wild defenseman Drew Smith
(John Keller/Tri-City Americans)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from September 13, 2025


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