Djomo Stops 41 in WHL Debut, Wild Nearly Complete Comeback in 3-2 Loss Wednesday
EVERETT, Wash. – Wenatchee Wild goaltender Mark Djomo has grown up wearing – and watching – the green uniforms of the Dallas Stars and his Dallas Stars Elite program. That made the colors across from him quite familiar Wednesday night as he made his Western Hockey League debut against a green-and-silver-clad Everett Silvertips group at Angel of the Winds Arena.
Without question, Djomo left his mark on his first WHL appearance.
The Farmers Branch, Texas native stopped 41 shots – 19 of them in the first period alone – as he and his teammates nearly willed themselves back from a 3-0 deficit in a 3-2 loss to the Western Hockey League’s top team. The Silvertips also came into the final week before the Christmas break atop the Canadian Hockey League’s top 10, with the circuit ranking them above all of the other 60 teams across major junior hockey.
With 6:24 to go in the first period, Jakub Seidl scored his first WHL goal on a pitch from the blue line that just squeaked through Djomo, giving the Silvertips a 1-0 lead on their 15th shot of the night. The last shot of the period made it a 2-0 game, when Rhys Jamieson snapped home a shot from the left-wing circle with 4.4 seconds on the clock.
At 8:39 of the second, Landon DuPont needed an odd carom to net his fourth goal of the season and put Everett up 3-0 – his transition shot from the high slot missed off the high glass behind the Wild net, but hopped off a Wenatchee skate on its way into the goal.
The three-goal lead lasted but a minute – at 9:38, Josh Toll set a pass to Boston Tait on the left wing, who walked the puck through the left circle and zapped a wrist shot past Anders Miller to trim the lead to 3-1. Just short of the halfway mark of the third, Toll’s half-shot from above the left dot kicked off of Miller’s pads and out to Rui Han, who hammered home a second chance that just brushed past Zane Saab on its way into the Silvertips’ cage. Wenatchee made a final push to tie the game and brought Djomo to the bench for the final 72 seconds, but was never able to deposit the equalizer.
DuPont ended the night with a goal and an assist for Everett, while Jesse Heslop ended the night with two assists in the win. Toll had two assists for Wenatchee for the club’s only multi-point finish. Miller earned his 13th win of the season with 27 saves, and the penalty-killing units combined to finish perfect on four chances. The Silvertips climbed to 26-3-2-1 with the win, while Wenatchee goes to the holiday break at 11-19-1-1.
The Wild return to play on Saturday, December 27, visiting Spokane in the front end of a home-and-home weekend. The opening puck drop at Numerica Veterans Arena in Spokane is slated for 6:05 p.m., with live coverage on Newsradio 560 KPQ and Victory+. Wenatchee returns to home ice December 28 against the Spokane Chiefs on Margaritaville Night, presented by Journey Travel & Tours.
Tickets for next Sunday’s game and all regular-season Wild 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.
Wenatchee 0 1 1 – 2
Everett 2 1 0 – 3
1st Period-1, Everett, Seidl 1 (Shantz, Heslop), 13:36. 2, Everett, Jamieson 7 (DuPont), 19:55. Penalties-Silaban Wen (tripping), 10:57.
2nd Period-3, Everett, DuPont 4 (Heslop, Smith), 8:39. 4, Wenatchee, Tait 2 (Toll, Shcherbyna), 9:38. Penalties-Andre Wen (major-fighting), 10:19; Rudolph Evt (major-fighting), 10:19; Smith Evt (holding), 12:21; Rolsing Wen (boarding), 16:09.
3rd Period-5, Wenatchee, Han 4 (Toll), 9:15. Penalties-Dufour Evt (high sticking), 15:44.
Shots on Goal-Wenatchee 8-12-9-29. Everett 21-9-14-44.
Power Play Opportunities-Wenatchee 0 / 2; Everett 0 / 2.
Goalies-Wenatchee, Djomo 0-1-0-0 (44 shots-41 saves). Everett, Miller 13-3-0-0 (29 shots-27 saves).
A-4,317
Referees-Jeff Ingram (82), Kacey Walker (28).
Linesmen-Brayden Cameron (127), Michael McGowan (41).
