Prince George Comes Back for 4-3 Win over Wild Wednesday
Photo Courtesy: Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild
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WENATCHEE, Wash. – With four games between the Wenatchee Wild and Prince George Cougars between Wednesday and next Saturday, and with both teams battling for something important heading into the final weeks of the 2024-25 Western Hockey League season, the head-to-head series between the teams has a distinct playoff feel. With that said, Prince George may come to call Wednesday’s game at Town Toyota Center a Game 1 win of sorts.
Wenatchee held a two-goal lead entering the final two minutes of the second period in Wednesday’s get-together, but the Cougars used two power play goals to even things up before taking the lead midway through the third period of a 4-3 decision. Wednesday’s Prince George win followed another late-game surge Saturday that saw them score four unanswered goals in a 4-2 win at the Kamloops Blazers.
The Wild made some history with their first goal of the night, a shot from Josh Fluker along the right-wing boards that caught Radoslav Dimitrov’s stick on the way to the net. Dimitrov earned his first WHL goal on that carom, along with Morgan Hackman’s first WHL point, earning an assist by rimming the puck around the boards and behind the net to Fluker.
Just 23 seconds out of the gate in the second period, Miles Cooper found Deagan McMillan streaking into the Prince George zone, and McMillan’s shot down the slot beat Josh Ravensbergen to put the Wild ahead 2-0. Bauer Dumanski’s shot from high in the Wenatchee zone four minutes later cut the lead to 2-1, but Cooper hammered home a third-chance rebound on an initial shot from McMillan at 6:51 of the period, giving the hosts a two-goal lead once again.
The Cougars’ power play put them within a goal with 1:36 left in the period, when Viliam Kmec’s toss from above the slot avoided the traffic to cut the lead to 3-2 going back to the dressing room. Prince George tied the contest on its next power play with 10:35 to go, pushing the puck to the front of the net before Jett Lajoie popped it through for the tying tally. Lee Shurgott’s goal with 8:42 to play put Prince George ahead for good.
Cooper finished with a goal and an assist, moving him to 100 points in his WHL career, the fifth player to reach that mark in a Wild uniform this year. McMillan also wrapped up the night with a goal and an assist, while Brendan Gee made 28 saves in the loss. Ravensbergen stopped 31 Wenatchee shots for his 31st win of the season, while Kmec notched a goal and an assist for Prince George.
The Cougars wrapped up the night 2-for-2 on the power play, and killed both Wenatchee power plays in the game as well. The Wild moved to 21-32-7-1 with the loss, while Prince George rose to 36-19-4-2, getting to within three points of B.C. Division leader Victoria with seven games to play and one game in hand for the Royals. Wenatchee remains within three points of Seattle for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot, also with seven games to go and a game in hand for the Thunderbirds.
Friday’s game at Town Toyota Center is 80s Night presented by Weinstein Beverage – 100 free kids’ tickets are also available thanks to Weinstein Beverage, as part of the team’s final Kids in Free promotion for this season. Friday’s opening puck drop and rematch against the Cougars is scheduled for 7 p.m.
2025-26 season tickets are now on sale – for more information, call 509-888-7825, or visit 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.
Prince George 0 2 2 – 4
Wenatchee 1 2 0 – 3
1st Period-1, Wenatchee, Dimitrov 1 (Fluker, Hackman), 10:36. Penalties-Lemire Pg (roughing), 14:10; Hackman Wen (roughing), 14:10.
2nd Period-2, Wenatchee, McMillan 6 (Cooper), 0:23. 3, Prince George, Dumanski 4 (Parascak, Kmec), 4:23. 4, Wenatchee, Cooper 22 (McMillan, Dunphy), 6:51. 5, Prince George, Kmec 15 (Heidt, Parascak), 18:24 (PP). Penalties-Sopiarz Pg (roughing), 16:09; Pankey Wen (roughing), 16:09; Fluker Wen (interference), 17:12.
3rd Period-6, Prince George, Lajoie 14 (Danis), 9:25 (PP). 7, Prince George, Shurgot 7 (Groening, Carels), 12:18. Penalties-Groening Pg (inter. on goaltender), 3:46; Dawson Seitz Wen (cross checking), 7:25; Groening Pg (major-elbowing, game misconduct), 16:15.
Shots on Goal-Prince George 7-13-12-32. Wenatchee 7-13-14-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Prince George 2 / 2; Wenatchee 0 / 2.
Goalies-Prince George, Ravensbergen 31-11-3-1 (34 shots-31 saves). Wenatchee, Gee 9-12-2-0 (32 shots-28 saves).
A-2,590
Referees-Mike Campbell (89), Colby Georgsen (60).
Linesmen-Bryce Fetzer (158), Max Lucas (172).
