Late Lethbridge Goals Seal Wenatchee’s Fate in 4-2 Defeat Friday
Photo Courtesy: Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild
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WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee Wild welcomed a brand-new foe to Town Toyota Center on Friday evening, and gave one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams a true test in a Western Hockey League tilt across conference lines. Brayden Edwards and Logan Wormald tag-teamed on the game’s final two goals, giving the Lethbridge Hurricanes a 4-2 win over the Wild in their first-ever visit to Wenatchee and allowing the Hurricanes to keep pace in a crowded race for Eastern Conference supremacy.
It was the hosts from the Western Conference who scored first, though, as Tyler Russell’s shot from the right point caught Miles Cooper’s stick on the way past Koen Cleaver, giving Wenatchee a 1-0 lead with 2:01 remaining in the first period.
The Hurricanes fought back in the second and took the lead, thanks to a pair of goals from Leo Braillard – his one-timer from high in the left-wing circle 1:39 into the period tied the game, and he added a power play goal with a wrister from the high slot at 8:29 to give the visitors their first lead.
Wenatchee would force their guests to retake that advantage – Shaun Rios led a 2-on-1 rush into the Lethbridge zone before finding Grant Reid with 7:19 left in the second period, who would score to tie the game as he was tripped up approaching the net. However, with 2:51 left in the period, Logan Wormald’s shot knocked Brayden Edwards’s stick from his hands and deflected past Alex Garrett into the net for the 3-2 Lethbridge lead. An Edwards shot on the rush with 1:37 to go in the third caromed out to Wormald to put away for the 4-2 lead, sealing the win for the Hurricanes.
Braillard had two goals in the game, while Wormald and Edwards teamed up to finish with a goal and an assist apiece. The Hurricanes finished 1-for-2 on the power play and wiped away both Wenatchee power plays. Cleaver finished with 18 saves, earning his seventh win of the season.
For the Wild, Rios nabbed an assist to extend his point streak to five straight games, the team’s longest active run. Garrett took the loss with 20 saves in his first start for Wenatchee, as Lethbridge bumped its record to 25-14-1-1 and the Wild moved to 15-21-3-1 for the year.
A visit to the Tri-City Americans on Saturday begins a home-and-home set for the Wild, with the opening puck drop at Toyota Center in Kennewick, Washington scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Live coverage is available on Newsradio 560 KPQ and WHL Live. The Wild return to home ice on Sunday for Multicultural Night against the Americans. Tickets for that 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.
Lethbridge 0 3 1 – 4
Wenatchee 1 1 0 – 2
1st Period-1, Wenatchee, Cooper 16 (Russell, Dunphy), 17:59. Penalties-Yager Let (hooking), 11:33.
2nd Period-2, Lethbridge, Braillard 15 (Yager, Price), 1:39. 3, Lethbridge, Braillard 16 (Yager, Chadwick), 8:29 (PP). 4, Wenatchee, Reid 1 (Rios, McCloskey), 12:41. 5, Lethbridge, Edwards 17 (Wormald, Chadwick), 17:09. Penalties-Price Let (tripping), 4:01; Dunphy Wen (interference), 7:33; Braillard Let (boarding), 12:41; Pankey Wen (cross checking), 20:00.
3rd Period-6, Lethbridge, Wormald 25 (Edwards, Norrie), 18:23. Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Lethbridge 5-12-7-24. Wenatchee 8-8-4-20.
Power Play Opportunities-Lethbridge 1 / 2; Wenatchee 0 / 2.
Goalies-Lethbridge, Cleaver 7-8-0-0 (20 shots-18 saves). Wenatchee, Garrett 13-3-1-1 (24 shots-20 saves).
A-3,001
Referees-Trevor Nolan, Kacey Walker (28).
Linesmen-Chris Van Deventer (145), Cameron Wetmore (114).
