Wild Race to 7-2 Win Saturday Behind Late Goals in Second, Third Periods

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WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wild Race to 7-2 Win Saturday Behind Late Goals in Second, Third Periods

September 14, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild players Tyler Russell (13, left) and Ashton Brown (4)
Wenatchee Wild players Tyler Russell (13, left) and Ashton Brown (4)
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Austin Draude)

KENNEWICK, Wash. - As the clock ticked down in Saturday afternoon's Western Hockey League preseason game at Toyota Arena, the Wenatchee Wild offense simply cranked things up and went to work.

Wenatchee earned a 7-2 win over the Portland Winterhawks, scoring six of those seven goals in the final four minutes of the second and third periods. They took the clock almost all the way down before scoring their last goal of the second period, as Tyler Russell scored his first goal of the preseason with just eight-tenths of a second left.

The teams scratched out a scoreless first period, though the Wild controlled the pace with 12 shots on goal to Portland's four. The Winterhawks notched the game's opening goal at 5:49 of the second period, when Ryan Miller scraped a power play goal around the post off an initial shot from Tyson Yaremko. Wenatchee tied the game at the 8:22 mark, when Maddix McCagherty sneaked a shot under the crossbar to make it a 1-1 contest.

The squads traded goals again, as Jordan Duguay hit the top corner of the cage at 12:14 for another Portland power play goal and a 2-1 lead - Easton Kovacs answered four minutes later to tie the game again at 2-2 and start a six-goal spurt for the Wild.

Noah Samanski banged in a rebound off a Ben Davis chance to give the Wild their first power play goal and their first lead with 49 seconds remaining in the period, and Russell ripped home a wrister from the slot after taking a pass off the right-wing wall from Ty Fraser at the very end of the stanza.

The Wild scored three more times in the game's final 3:05, starting with an empty-net heave for Evan Friesen from his own end of the rink. Caelan Joudrey rolled one into the Portland net with a minute-and-a-half to play, and Fraser capped the scoring with a catch-and-release goal off a pass from Joudrey with just 55 seconds to go.

"I thought we played hard, and our compete level was good," said Wenatchee associate head coach Chris Clark. "I thought (head coach) Don (Nachbaur) did a good job between periods of telling the guys to take it one period at a time, and our guys did a good job of that. When you sustain pressure like we did over time, you're able to get results from that."

Four different Wenatchee players finished with multi-point games, while Daniel Hauser earned the win behind 18 saves. McCagherty kept an impressive streak going, scoring a goal in his fourth consecutive preseason game. The Wild offense dominated the tempo of the game, posting 45 shots to Portland's 20. Wenatchee was solid on the power play as well, going 1-for-4.

The Winterhawks got multi-point performances from Miller, who finished with a goal and an assist, and Yaremko with two assists. Luke Brunen made 28 saves in the loss, while Marek Schlenker went 10-for-12 in relief, and the Portland power play finished 2-for-5.

The Wild finish preseason play Sunday in Kennewick, with a 2:05 p.m. puck drop against the Tri-City Americans. Wenatchee returns to home ice for "509 Night" presented by Town Toyota, and their regular season opener on Saturday, September 21 against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Tickets for that game and all 34 regular-season home games are on sale now by phone at 509-888-7825, or by visiting the team office at Town Toyota Center. Wild 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 the team's social media platforms on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

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Images from this story

Wenatchee Wild players Tyler Russell (13, left) and Ashton Brown (4)
Wenatchee Wild players Tyler Russell (13, left) and Ashton Brown (4)
(Austin Draude)		   

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