Wild Sweeps Rage: Vandercook Records Hat Trick
Published on December 18, 2010 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release
DAWSON CREEK, British Columbia - The Wenatchee Wild defeated the Dawson Creek Rage Saturday night, 6-3, capping off a 3-game road sweep. D.J. Vandercook (Farmington Hills, Mich.) led the Wild with a goal in each period to record his first hat trick of the season.
Bobby Turnbull gave the Rage its first lead of the series 3:08 into the contest when he scored on a redirection. The Wild tied the contest at 8:31 when Vandercook put back a rebound during a man-advantage.
Michael Di Puma (Chicago, Ill.) and Max McHugh (Edgewood, Wash.) assisted. Wild netminder Nick Kulmanovsky (Fairbanks, Alaska) assured that the game would remain tied heading into the first break when he shut the door on Dakota Mason, who broke free on a breakaway late in the first period.
The Wild went on to score three unanswered goals in the second period to take a 4-1 lead. Ben Carey (Centennial, Colo.) scored three minutes into the second frame when he redirected Zach Frye's (Spokane, Wash.) shot from the point into the cage. Eliot Grauer (Mukioteo, Wash.) also assisted.
During a man-advantage, Vandercook notched his second goal of the game a little less than nine minutes into the second period when he beat Rage netminder Andrew Walsh 5-hole from the slot on a pass from Carl-Johan Sjogren (Sodertalje, Sweden) from behind the cage. McHugh picked up the second assist on the goal. Late in the second period, Carey won a faceoff in the near circle of the Rage zone to Grauer. From the top of the circle, Grauer scored on a hard, glove-side wrist shot.
Grauer picked up his second goal of the contest 5:14 into the third period. Off a Rage turnover, Grauer took a shot from the near circle, which was saved. Grauer controlled the rebound, however, and scored on his backhand. Dawson Creek got goals from Ryan Matthews (11:53) and Dakota Mason (16:53) to cut Wenatchee's lead to 5-3, but Vandercook went on to record the hat trick on an empty-netter with 65 seconds remaining in regulation. Kyle Huson (Parker, Colo.) and Kulmanovsky assisted.
Kulmanovsky made 19 saves on 22 shots to improve his record to 3-1. Walsh made 42 saves on 47 shots. The Wild scored two power-play goals on six chances while the Rage went 0-for-6 on the man-advantage.
Vandercook (3G) and Grauer (2G, 1A) each recorded three points for the Wild. Carey (1G, 1A) and McHugh (2A) each posted two points. Scott Fellnermayr (3A) and Turnbull (1G, 1A) paced the Rage.
The Wild (18-11-2) will ring in 2011 at the Town Toyota Center with a pair of games against the Fresno Monsters on Dec. 31-Jan. 1. The New Year's Eve game will begin at 6:35 p.m., and the New Year's Day game will start at 7:05 p.m.
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