Wild Wins 3-Of-4 at Tournament
September 18, 2010 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release
BLAINE, Minn. - The Wenatchee Wild defeated the Port Huron Fighting Falcons Saturday, 5-3, during the fourth and final day of competition at the Showcase Tournament in Blaine, Minn. The Wild concluded the tournament with a 3-1 record, and its lone loss was to the Wichita Falls Wildcats, who were crowned champions of the tournament.
Kyle Keenan (Colorado Springs, Colo.) staked the Wild to a 1-0 lead when he hammered home a circle-to-circle pass on the power play with less than eight minutes left in the first period. Anthony Martinez (Schawnburg, Ill.) and Brennen Parker (Villa Park, Calif.) assisted on the tic-tac-toe play, which resulted in the only goal of the first frame.
Wenatchee increased its lead to 3-0 with a pair of power-play goals early in the second period. Tyler Hope (Dallas, Texas) scored the first goal 98 seconds into the frame when he redirected a wrist shot from the far point. Blake Saylor (Centennial, Colo.) and Bradley Shumway (Lafayette, Colo.) notched the assists. Zach Frye (Spokane, Wash.) scored the second power-play goal at the 5:22 mark when he blasted in a one-timer from the near point on a deft pass from Zachary Wallace (Burbank, Calif.), who was near the goal line. Shawn Pauly (Bellingham, Wash.) picked up the second assist on Frye's goal.
The Fighting Falcons lit up the scoreboard for the first time in the contest just under eight minutes into the second period on Ryan Green's power-play marker, which was scored on a slap shot from the near point. However, Eliot Grauer (Mukioteo, Wash.) got that goal back for the Wild with 5:10 to go before the second intermission during a short-handed situation. Off a Port Huron turnover, Grauer took a pass from Chris Rumble (Chesapeake, Va.) and beat goaltender Salvatore Tecci with a forehand-backhand move to the left side of the goal. The Falcons kept fighting, however, and went into the locker room down by just two goals thanks to Justin Locante's power-play tally with less than a minute remaining before the second intermission.
Saylor's power-play goal two minutes and 39 seconds into the final period, scored on a high wrister after wrapping around the goal, gave Wenatchee a 5-2 lead. Keenan earned the only assist on the goal. Locante made it a 2-goal game again less than two minutes later, but the Fighting Falcons would get no closer.
Wild goaltender Marcus Zelzer (Bay, Wis.) made 18 saves on 21 shots and earned his first win with the club in the process. Tecci turned aside 25 of the Wild's 30 shots. Wenatchee scored four power-play goals on seven chances while Port Huron notched two power-play goals on seven opportunities.
Saylor and Keenan each had a goal and an assist for the Wild. Locante scored two of the Fighting Falcons' goals.
The Wild's first home series, against the Kenai River Brown Bears, is this coming Friday and Saturday (Sept. 24-25). Both games begin at 7:05 p.m. The Wild will give away magnet schedules to the first 4,000 fans attending the home opener. The first 2,000 fans attending Saturday's game will receive a team hat.
North American Hockey League Stories from September 18, 2010
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- IceRays quell Rage in shootout - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Stars rush Alaska, 5-2 - Traverse City North Stars
- Closing Statement: Stars Rush Alaska, 5-2 - Traverse City North Stars
- Wild Wins 3-Of-4 at Tournament - Wenatchee Wild
- Bobcats Drop Showcase Finale 3-1 - Bismarck Bobcats
- Bulls Beat Bandits 5-3 - Amarillo Bulls
- Bulls win second beat Port Huron 4-1 - Amarillo Bulls
- Icerays Win Second Consecutive Game In Showcase Tournament - Corpus Christi IceRays
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