Second-Period Pair Helps Prince George Prevail at Wild Friday, 4-3
Photo Courtesy: Russ Alman/Wenatchee Wild
GAME BOXSCORE \\ WATCH ON CHL TV
WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Prince George Cougars and Wenatchee Wild have squared off three times at Town Toyota Center this year, and every game between the teams has been a one-goal affair. Even after Prince George scored two goals in the second period Friday, they needed their empty-net marker in the final two minutes to stave off a final comeback bid. Two power play goals in the final 20.5 seconds left Borya Valis’s goal from just inside the Wenatchee blue line as the difference in a 4-3 Western Hockey League clash.
Leading Cougar scorer Terik Parascak put his team in front first 3:41 into the game, tapping in a one-timer off a Koehn Ziemmer setup to give the visitors the early edge. The Wild evened up the contest at 9:21, when Deagan McMillan’s shot from the left wing bounced off of Lukas McCloskey’s stick in front of the net and past Joshua Ravensbergen, and the teams headed to the dressing room even.
Prince George snagged the lead for good at 10:48 of the second period, when Aiden Foster jumped the route on a blue-line pass in Wenatchee’s offensive zone, sprinting down and tucking in a backhand chance for the 2-1 score. The Wild were able to shake off the Cougars’ power play until the dying moments of the period, as Parascak found Viliam Kmec for a one-timer deep in the right wing circle at 18:04, giving the visitors a two-goal advantage going to the final period.
With the Wild on the power play, Brendan Gee came to the Wenatchee bench with 4:35 remaining, but the Cougars were able to shake off the man-advantage long enough for Valis to toss a shot from the left point to the empty net with 1:57 to go. A pair of penalties to Ben Riche and Parascak in the last two minutes, however, gave Wenatchee a 6-on-3 advantage with the net empty again – Shaun Rios sent a low shot through with 20.5 seconds left, cutting the lead to 4-2.
McCloskey added his second goal from the right point with 6.1 seconds left, sending a wrist shot through a crowd at the front of the net for a 4-3 margin. Wenatchee would win the game’s final faceoff, but the puck sped away to the corner in the Wild end, ticking away the last seconds. McCloskey notched his first multi-goal game in a Wild uniform, and second in junior play, after posting one last March as a member of the British Columbia Hockey League’s Vernon Vipers.
Miles Cooper picked up a pair of assists as well, snatching the team’s point-scoring lead in the process. Riley Heidt had the only multi-point game for Prince George, as Ravensbergen picked up his league-best 32nd win of the year behind 26 saves. Gee took the loss with 28 saves of his own.
Wenatchee closed the night 2-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill, but moved to 21-33-7-1 in the defeat. The Cougars climbed to 37-19-4-2, extending their win streak to six games and putting them within a point of the Victoria Royals for the B.C. Division lead. The Wild fell five points back of Seattle for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot, with six games remaining on the Wenatchee schedule and a game in hand for the Thunderbirds.
The Wild close a three-game week with a stop at Tri-City on Saturday evening – the opening puck drop at Toyota Center in Kennewick is scheduled for 6:05 p.m., with live coverage on Newsradio 560 KPQ and WHL Live. Wenatchee will play its next five games on the road before closing the regular season at home on Saturday, March 22 against the Everett Silvertips.
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 1 2 1 – 4
Wenatchee 1 0 2 – 3
1st Period-1, Prince George, Parascak 28 (Ziemmer), 3:41. 2, Wenatchee, McCloskey 7 (McMillan, Cooper), 9:21. Penalties-Sopiarz Pg (major-fighting), 9:04; Hackman Wen (major-fighting), 9:04; Foster Pg (roughing), 11:41; Dunphy Wen (roughing), 11:41; Kmec Pg (holding), 18:16.
2nd Period-3, Prince George, Foster 9 10:48. 4, Prince George, Kmec 16 (Parascak, Heidt), 18:05 (PP). Penalties-Mannix Wen (high sticking), 7:57; Shcherbyna Wen (high sticking, high sticking), 11:38; Parascak Pg (hooking), 12:53; McMillan Wen (hooking), 17:53; Foster Pg (interference), 18:24; Friesen Wen (roughing), 18:24.
3rd Period-5, Prince George, Valis 31 (Lajoie, Heidt), 18:03 (EN). 6, Wenatchee, Rios 24 (Cooper, Andresen), 19:40 (PP). 7, Wenatchee, McCloskey 8 (Dimitrov, Zane Saab), 19:54 (PP). Penalties-Shcherbyna Wen (slashing), 2:12; Ziemmer Pg (hooking), 14:49; Riche Pg (hooking), 18:18; Parascak Pg (slashing), 18:39.
Shots on Goal-Prince George 9-12-11-32. Wenatchee 13-7-9-29.
Power Play Opportunities-Prince George 1 / 5; Wenatchee 2 / 4.
Goalies-Prince George, Ravensbergen 32-11-3-1 (29 shots-26 saves). Wenatchee, Gee 9-13-2-0 (31 shots-28 saves).
A-2,917
Referees-Jackson Kozari (97), Tatu Kunto (95).
Linesmen-Bryce Fetzer (158), Brennan Walker (143).
