Cooper Posts First Career Hat Trick as Wild Spoil First-Ever Edmonton Visit, 7-3
Photo Courtesy: Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild
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WENATCHEE, Wash. – All’s well that ends well for the Wenatchee Wild when they’re on home ice during the 2024-25 season.
The Wild have finished five weekends so far this year with a home game at Town Toyota Center, and all five have ended with the Wild adding at least one point to their Western Hockey League standing. Saturday’s game was perhaps the most resounding one yet, a 7-3 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings that saw the Oil Kings battle back to a one-goal game twice in their first-ever visit to Wenatchee. The win was the first in regulation for the Wild since another week-ending home victory on September 29, a 4-2 win over Prince George.
“They pushed us and we pushed back,” said Wild associate head coach Chris Clark. “It was awesome to see guys finding ways to win. It’s hard to win in this league, and it was a great team win. We’d mention a lot of guys, but you could mention all 20. All 20 guys can sit in that locker room after the game and say, ‘I had a part in that,’ and that’s the best part.”
Wenatchee set the pace to start the contest, with all of the first four shots on net – after three straight attempts by Edmonton, the Wild reeled off eight of the next 10. With 3:52 left in the period, they broke through as Dawson Seitz banged in a rebound off a transition chance from Reid Andresen, putting the Wild in front first. With 1:59 on the first-period clock, Miles Cooper ended Wenatchee’s first power play almost as quickly as it started, flipping an Ethan MacKenzie slashing infraction into a 2-0 lead after just five seconds with a shot from the middle of the slot.
Seth Tansem sent a shot on net from the right point at 3:29 of the second, getting a redirect from Evan Friesen in front for a 3-0 Wild advantage, but the Oil Kings battled back. 1:28 later, Marshall Finnie wired one to the top half of the net on a power play to cut the lead to 3-1, and Edmonton trimmed it to a single goal with 7:47 on the clock when MacKenzie hit Gracyn Sawchyn with a stretch pass at the Wild blue line, and Sawchyn hit the back of the net just a few strides later.
Friesen scored again just two minutes later, when Caelan Joudrey found him with a setup pass from behind the net, and Friesen’s toss made it a 4-2 game at the break. Edmonton again cut it to a one-goal game with a goal from Rylan Roersma at 7:11 of the third, but the Wild took off from there – Cooper scored back-to-back goals by jamming one in on the post with 8:40 to play and pitching home a rebound with 6:01 to go. Seitz collected his second goal of the night on a 2-on-1 jog to the net alongside Kenta Isogai with 1:39 remaining.
In all, 11 Wenatchee players added points to their totals, including Isogai, who finished with a game-high four assists. Cooper’s first multi-goal game was an impressive one, with a hat trick, while Seitz registered his first multi-goal game as well, and Andresen finished with three assists. Daniel Hauser made his return to the net after a three-week stay on the injured list and earned the win with 32 saves, moving his career win total to 98, while head coach Don Nachbaur saw his career total climb to 697 victories behind a WHL bench.
Roersma’s goal and assist marked the only multi-point showing on the night for the Oil Kings, as Hudson Perry took the loss behind a 24-save performance. Edmonton slipped to 7-6-1-1 for the year, ending a four-game point streak, while the Wild rose to 5-9-2-0.
The Red Deer Rebels make their first visit ever to Town Toyota Center on Friday, as a season-long six-game homestand continues with Proud to Be an American Night, presented by Wenatchee Clinic Pharmacy. The opening puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets for Friday’s game and all regular-season home games are on sale now by phone at 509-888-7825, online here or by visiting 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.
Edmonton 0 2 1 – 3
Wenatchee 2 2 3 – 7
1st Period-1, Wenatchee, Dawson Seitz 2 (Andresen, Brown), 16:08. 2, Wenatchee, Cooper 6 (Andresen, Shcherbyna), 18:01 (PP). Penalties-Dawson Seitz Wen (tripping), 4:19; Sawchyn Edm (roughing), 13:46; Ward Wen (roughing), 13:46; MacKenzie Edm (slashing), 17:56; Dawson Seitz Wen (tripping), 18:24.
2nd Period-3, Wenatchee, Friesen 4 (Tansem, Isogai), 3:29. 4, Edmonton, Finnie 3 (Roersma, Woodward), 4:57 (PP). 5, Edmonton, Sawchyn 8 (MacKenzie), 12:13. 6, Wenatchee, Friesen 5 (Joudrey, Zane Saab), 14:12. Penalties-Cooper Wen (hooking), 4:33; Jecho Edm (hooking), 6:02; Friesen Wen (roughing), 7:08; Fiddler Edm (high sticking), 7:46; MacKenzie Edm (closing hand on puck), 15:42; Alcos Edm (roughing), 20:00.
3rd Period-7, Edmonton, Roersma 4 (Holinka, Jecho), 7:11. 8, Wenatchee, Cooper 7 (Isogai, Pankey), 11:20. 9, Wenatchee, Cooper 8 (Andresen, Isogai), 13:59. 10, Wenatchee, Dawson Seitz 3 (Isogai), 18:21. Penalties-Ward Wen (high sticking), 4:37; Tansem Wen (delay of game), 4:48; McCagherty Wen (tripping), 14:52; Sawchyn Edm (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 20:00.
Shots on Goal-Edmonton 8-16-11-35. Wenatchee 14-6-11-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Edmonton 1 / 6; Wenatchee 1 / 5.
Goalies-Edmonton, Perry 0-2-1-0 (31 shots-24 saves). Wenatchee, Hauser 3-2-1-0 (35 shots-32 saves).
A-2,894
Referees-Nick Panter (70), Ward Pateman (124).
Linesmen-Bryce Fetzer (158), Dustin Minty (86).
