Tri-City Trips Wenatchee Saturday, Continues Stretch of Close Games in Series
WENATCHEE, Wash. – On Friday night, a 12-second stretch helped turn the tide for the Wenatchee Wild in a Western Hockey League tilt with the Penticton Vees, one that saw Wenatchee prevail by a 4-2 count. In Saturday’s game at Town Toyota Center, a similar tide turned toward Tri-City near the game’s midway point.
The Americans potted a pair of goals 13 seconds apart, giving them the momentum en route to a 3-1 win over the Wild. Tri-City improved its record to 5-6-0-0 with its first three-game winning streak of the year, while Wenatchee’s record moved to 2-7-1-1 at the beginning of a five-game homestand, the club’s longest of the season. Saturday’s tilt was the sixth straight between the teams to be decided by only one or two goals.
The first period was an evenly-matched stanza that saw the Wild wipe away three Ams power plays, but saw neither team grab the initial lead. For the visitors, that opportunity came at 7:49 of the second period, off a Savin Virk takeaway at the Tri-City blue line – he broke free and tossed the puck past Tobias Tvrznik to give the guests a 1-0 lead. At 8:02, Aden Bouchard weaved the puck through the defense at the side of the net, slipping the puck through for a 2-0 advantage.
Wenatchee got its opportunity at 10:48 of the third period, when Josh Toll rolled a pass across the slot that found Aiden Grossklaus for a backdoor one-timer to trim the Tri-City lead to 2-1. The tying goal, however, never came – with the Wild pushing for that second goal, Connor Dale was able to stay a step ahead of the defense and drive the puck into the empty net with 19 seconds remaining to seal the outcome.
The penalty-killing units shined throughout the night, combining to go 10-for-10 on the evening, with the Wild wiping away six Tri-City opportunities. Tvrznik took the loss, making 17 saves, while Ryan Grout picked up his first win of the year behind a 27-save showing. Rui Han followed his first career goal on Friday with his first WHL assist Saturday, while Toll climbed to within one assist of Mason Kraft for the team lead.
The five-game homestand continues for the Wild next Saturday as the club welcomes the Saskatoon Blades for its “Wild About Awareness” promotion, presented by Numerica. The opening puck drop at Town Toyota Center is slated for 6 p.m.
Tickets for next Saturday’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.
Tri-City 0 2 1 – 3
Wenatchee 0 0 1 – 1
1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Vanecek Tc (hooking), 6:58; Elliott Wen (tripping), 10:52; Capos Wen (hooking), 14:44; Smith Wen (delay of game), 16:22.
2nd Period-1, Tri-City, Virk 4 7:49. 2, Tri-City, Bouchard 1 8:02. Penalties-McCagherty Wen (tripping), 0:25; Elliott Wen (tripping), 4:06; Pavao Tc (tripping), 4:47; Abougouche Tc (roughing), 9:32; Abougouche Tc (holding), 12:27.
3rd Period-3, Wenatchee, GROHS-closs 3 (Toll, Han), 10:48. 4, Tri-City, Dale 4 (Gudelj, Adam), 19:41 (EN). Penalties-Shcherbyna Wen (tripping), 11:57; Koch Tc (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 17:53; Dawson Seitz Wen (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 17:53.
Shots on Goal-Tri-City 8-6-6-20. Wenatchee 6-9-13-28.
Power Play Opportunities-Tri-City 0 / 6; Wenatchee 0 / 4.
Goalies-Tri-City, Grout 1-3-0-0 (28 shots-27 saves). Wenatchee, Tvrznik 2-5-0-1 (19 shots-17 saves).
A-2,963
Referees-Brad Lebus (52), Jake Podann (8).
Linesmen-Max Lucas (172), Trevor Shively (152).
