Isogai Racks Up Six Points as Wild Earn 6-2 Preseason Win Over Tri-City
Photo Courtesy: Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild
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WENATCHEE, Wash. – As the 2024-25 season ramps up, the Wenatchee Wild get only one chance to showcase their talents in front of their home crowd before heading on the road for four more preseason games and opening the regular season September 21 against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The Wild certainly made a good first impression Saturday night at Town Toyota Center, scoring five unanswered goals on the way to a 6-2 win over the Tri-City Americans in the team’s annual Kids’ Day preseason matchup. A crowd of 1,450 turned out to see a career night for Kenta Isogai – unofficial or not – with two goals and four assists.
A defensive battle in the first period gave way to Isogai’s first goal, zipping a wrist shot past Nathan Preston from the edge of the slot with 2:43 left in the stanza to highlight the club’s first power play of the night and give the Wild the 1-0 lead at the intermission.
The Ams snagged the lead back midway through the second, with Merrek Arpin tying the game on a shot from the top of the right circle at 9:33. Just as a Wenatchee power play began, Gavin Garland deked his way past Daniel Hauser at the 12:30 mark to give the visitors their only lead of the night.
That lead would last just 24 seconds – Dawson Seitz sent a catch-and-release chance from the right circle past Preston for a tying power play goal with 7:06 left in the period. A strong run into the offensive zone helped Isogai set up Maddix McCagherty for the go-ahead goal with 2:29 left in the period, and Wenatchee ended the period with a flourish thanks to a mid-slot chance from Evan Friesen with 49.4 seconds showing on the clock.
There was no let-up from the Wenatchee offense in the third period, either – Isogai pushed in a second goal just before the three-minute mark of the period, and he found Noah Samanski in front of the net to tuck in a goal on the left-wing post with 7:53 left in the contest.
“With a lot of new guys in the lineup and a new coach coaching them, it was a pretty good night overall,” said Wild assistant coach Leigh Mendelson. “We didn’t give up a ton of chances, and a lot of guys contributed, from 20-year-olds to 15-year-olds. Preseason hockey is what it is, but it was a really good night.”
Reid Andresen impressed in his first appearance in a Wild uniform, notching three assists, while Friesen and Seitz had a goal and an assist apiece. Austin Zemlak had the only multi-point game of the night for Tri-City, picking up a pair of assists. The Wild were nearly perfect on special teams, turning away all four Tri-City chances while going 2-for-3 on the man-advantage.
Hauser was excellent in net, earning the win on 24 saves, while Kyle Kelsey made nine saves in the loss for the Americans. Preston started the contest for Tri-City, stopping 15 of the 17 Wenatchee chances that he saw in a no-decision.
The Wild close out the weekend with a stop at Everett’s preseason showcase on Sunday, and a matchup against the host Silvertips. The opening puck drop at Angel of the Winds Arena is scheduled for 4 p.m., with live streaming “freeview” coverage on WHL Live. Wenatchee returns to home ice for “509 Night” presented by Town Toyota, and their regular season opener on Saturday, September 21. Tickets for that game are on sale now at 509-888-7825, online here 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.
Tri-City 0 2 0 – 2
Wenatchee 1 3 2 – 6
1st Period-1, Wenatchee, Isogai 1 (Andresen, Dawson Seitz), 17:17 (PP). Penalties-Bambrick Wen (tripping), 8:27; Martin Tc (high sticking), 16:33; Koch Tc (roughing), 17:38.
2nd Period-2, Tri-City, Arpin 1 (Zemlak, Rougeau), 9:33. 3, Tri-City, Garland 1 (Brankovic, Zemlak), 12:30 (SH). 4, Wenatchee, Dawson Seitz 1 (Andresen, Isogai), 12:54 (PP). 5, Wenatchee, McCagherty 1 (Isogai, Ward), 17:31. 6, Wenatchee, Friesen 1 (Isogai, Andresen), 19:11. Penalties-Bambrick Wen (interference), 10:35; Gudelj Tc (faceoff interference), 11:38; McCagherty Wen (holding opp. stick), 19:25.
3rd Period-7, Wenatchee, Isogai 2 (Friesen, Vaillant), 2:56. 8, Wenatchee, Samanski 1 (Isogai, Bambrick), 12:07. Penalties-Sloan Tc (roughing), 10:33; Fraser Wen (roughing), 10:33; Koch Tc (roughing), 10:57; Ward Wen (elbowing), 10:57; McCagherty Wen (delay of game), 14:09.
Shots on Goal-Tri-City 6-12-8-26. Wenatchee 7-13-10-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Tri-City 0 / 4; Wenatchee 2 / 3.
Goalies-Tri-City, Preston 0-0-0-0 (17 shots-15 saves); Kelsey 0-2-0-0 (13 shots-9 saves). Wenatchee, Hauser 1-0-0-0 (26 shots-24 saves).
A-1,450
Referees-Jarrod Lucoe (43), Brandon Koop (23).
Linesmen-Mitchell Gibbs (142), Cameron Wetmore (114).
