Wenatchee Thunders Back, Knocks Off East Division Leader Saskatoon Saturday in Overtime, 3-2
WENATCHEE, Wash. – Good things came in threes for the Wenatchee Wild on Saturday at Town Toyota Center.
Down 1-0, Dawson Seitz’s tying goal in the third period was his third marker of the season. When the Wild needed another tying goal, Sam Elliott registered his third of the year. Maddix McCagherty’s goal was the third of his season, and the third of Wenatchee’s game, netting them a 3-2 overtime win over the Saskatoon Blades for their third Western Hockey League victory of the season. The game marked the only time the foes will see each other this regular season, and also marked the third straight win in the series for the home team since the Wild became part of the Western Hockey League in 2023.
After Wenatchee took a 7-4 lead on shots in the first period, the Blades put up six of the next seven shots, and Hunter Laing batted home a rebound off Jordan Martin’s initial shot with 2:53 left in the stanza to put Saskatoon ahead first.
The game was a virtual stalemate all the way into the third period, with the teams even or nearly even throughout on shots on goal, and in the battle at the faceoff dot. However, with the Wild on the power play, Rui Han hit Seitz for a one-timer at the edge of the slot at 5:52 of the third, and his slap shot evened the score at 1-1.
A Derek Thurston blast from the left point sneaked past Tobias Tvrznik at the 9:05 mark, evading the traffic at the net and putting the Blades back in front. However, after a left-point shot from Seitz, Elliott reached around a defender at the front of the net and scraped in the rebound to put the Wild even again with just 5:23 to play. Wenatchee never led until the final goal at 2:46 of the overtime, when Elliott stepped around a defender and walked the puck down the slot before finding McCagherty for the right-wing one-timer.
Elliott and Seitz each finished with a goal and an assist, while Josh Toll posted his eighth helper of the year to equal Mason Kraft for the team lead. Laing finished with a goal and an assist of his own in the Saskatoon cause. Tvrznik stopped 31 of 33 Blades shots to earn his third win of the season, while Evan Gardner made 30 saves in the loss.
Wenatchee held the advantage on special teams at the end, going 1-for-5 on the power play while killing all five Saskatoon power plays. The Wild bumped their record to 3-7-1-1 for the season, while Saskatoon slipped to 10-6-2-0 on the year, finishing a six-game U.S. Division road trip with four games in a five-night stretch.
The five-game homestand continues for the Wild Sunday, when the Kamloops Blazers visit the Wolves’ Den for Grandparents’ Night presented by Riverside Payments, and Wenatchee’s latest Fred Meyer Sunday Funday promotion. The opening puck drop at Town Toyota Center is slated for 4 p.m.
Tickets for Sunday’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.
Saskatoon 1 0 1 0 – 2
Wenatchee 0 0 2 1 – 3
1st Period-1, Saskatoon, Laing 7 (Martin, David Lewandowski), 17:07. Penalties-Harsanyi Sas (hooking), 6:04; Bowtell Sas (hooking), 19:00; McCagherty Wen (inter. on goaltender), 19:57.
2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Thurston Sas (interference), 1:06; Kraft Wen (slashing), 3:12; Capos Wen (holding), 10:54; Han Wen (interference), 14:25; Thurston Sas (holding), 20:00; Elliott Wen (embellishment), 20:00.
3rd Period-2, Wenatchee, Dawson Seitz 3 (Han, Rios), 5:52 (PP). 3, Saskatoon, Thurston 1 (Laing, Williams), 9:05. 4, Wenatchee, Elliott 3 (Dawson Seitz, Osborne), 14:37. Penalties-David Lewandowski Sas (tripping), 0:33; Petr Sas (roughing), 4:18; Smith Wen (holding), 10:35.
OT Period-5, Wenatchee, McCagherty 3 (Elliott, Toll), 2:46. Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Saskatoon 10-9-13-1-33. Wenatchee 8-10-13-2-33.
Power Play Opportunities-Saskatoon 0 / 5; Wenatchee 1 / 5.
Goalies-Saskatoon, Gardner 6-4-2-0 (33 shots-30 saves). Wenatchee, Tvrznik 3-5-0-1 (33 shots-31 saves).
A-2,614
Referees-Trey Huculak (37), Ward Pateman (124).
Linesmen-Zach Anderson (160), Cody Wanner (56).
