Tvrznik, Wenatchee Deal Victoria 2-0 Loss Behind 32-Save Shutout Friday
WENATCHEE, Wash. – The four points on the line for Wenatchee this weekend aren’t just any four points. The two games on the Wild slate are against two of the three teams directly in front of them in the Western Conference standings – which just happened to also be two of the three teams standing between them and the Western Hockey League playoffs.
Wenatchee did its part Friday evening at Town Toyota Center, and got some help from its Western Conference counterparts, as Tobias Tvrznik twirled a 32-save shutout – his first in the United States – on the way to a 2-0 victory over the Victoria Royals. The win propelled Wenatchee past Seattle into 10th in the Western Conference standings, after a Thunderbirds loss to the Portland Winterhawks, though the Thunderbirds still have three games in hand on Wenatchee entering play Saturday.
The Wild charged out to three power plays in the opening 7:36 of the game, racking up four of the first five shots of the night, and nine of the first 12 – Wenatchee was also dominant at the faceoff dot from start to finish, highlighted by a 14-5 margin on restarts in the first period. However, Tvrznik and Ethan Eskit both stymied the opposition with dazzling saves over 48 sterling minutes of play. Finally, with 11:48 left in the third, a shot from the left wing clipped off the post before Gabriel Guilbault was able to claw his way to the net and scrape it past Eskit for a 1-0 Wenatchee lead.
With the Royals looking to determine when to bring Eskit to the bench, Caelan Joudrey forced that exit to come a little more quickly with 2:02 to play, stretching the lead to 2-0 by banking a setup play from below the goal line off of Seth Fryer and past Eskit for the insurance. Wenatchee held off a furious push from Victoria over the final two minutes, locking in the first Wild shutout win since Daniel Hauser’s 30-save clean slate on October 28, 2023 against the Kelowna Rockets. Friday’s win was Tvrznik’s 14th of the season.
Guilbault’s goal was his first in a Wenatchee uniform and first since December 3, his final appearance for Kelowna. Joudrey ran his point streak to three games with his goal, while Sam Elliott, Levi Benson and Rui Han all tallied assists for the Wild. The penalty-killing units were perfect on the night, combining to go 11-for-11.
Eskit was almost as good in net for the Royals, finishing 28-for-30 in the loss. The Royals slipped to 21-20-5-3 with the loss, while Wenatchee ran its record to 19-26-3-2 with the victory.
The Wild wrap up their home weekend Saturday, when they welcome Spokane to Town Toyota Center for their annual Star Wars Night, presented by Deer Haven Apartments. The opening faceoff is slated for 6 p.m., with live coverage on Newsradio 560 KPQ and Victory+.
Tickets for 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.
Victoria 0 0 0 – 0
Wenatchee 0 0 2 – 2
1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Eskit Vic (delay of game), 2:31; Newman Vic (interference), 4:36; Fryer Vic (slashing), 7:36; Zane Saab Wen (interference), 18:17.
2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Vauhkonen Vic (high sticking), 0:45; Vaillant Wen (holding), 7:47; Tait Wen (tripping), 8:44; Moore Vic (boarding), 14:04.
3rd Period-1, Wenatchee, Guilbault 2 (Elliott, Han), 8:12. 2, Wenatchee, Joudrey 13 (Benson), 17:58. Penalties-Silaban Wen (hooking), 0:24; Eskit Vic (delay of game), 11:53; Han Wen (roughing), 14:06.
Shots on Goal-Victoria 9-10-13-32. Wenatchee 12-8-10-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Victoria 0 / 5; Wenatchee 0 / 6.
Goalies-Victoria, Eskit 17-14-5-3 (30 shots-28 saves). Wenatchee, Tvrznik 14-16-2-2 (32 shots-32 saves).
A-2,858
Referees-Ward Pateman (124), Ben Solomon (26).
Linesmen-Kian Carruthers (156), Cody Wanner (56).
