Wild Strike Quickly Wednesday, but Seattle Snags Shootout Win, 3-2

Category: ArticleNovember 28, 2024

Photo Courtesy: Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds

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KENT, Wash. – The Wenatchee Wild struck quickly twice in Wednesday’s Western Hockey League matchup against the Seattle Thunderbirds, and extended an impressive streak with a power play goal in the third period. However, it was the Thunderbirds who struck last, snagging a 3-2 shootout win to head into the Thanksgiving weekend. Despite the loss, it was Wenatchee’s fourth straight matchup against Seattle in which it earned at least one point in the U.S. Division standings.

Wenatchee didn’t wait long to grab the momentum – just 57 seconds out of the gate, a Seth Tansem shot from the right point bounded out front for Shaun Rios, who banged in the second chance to give his team a 1-0 advantage. The lead held almost all the way through the opening two periods, but the Thunderbirds evened things up with 45 seconds left in the second – with Ashton Cumby serving a slashing infraction, Antonio Martorana grabbed the puck in the corner and fed it out front for a tying one-timer from Sam Charko.

In the third period, the Wild took advantage of a slashing call to Colton Gerrior at 1:22, scoring just five seconds into the power play to take the lead back. Caelan Joudrey tossed a pass out front from below the goal line, and Eastyn Mannix ripped a wrist shot past Seattle netminder Scott Ratzlaff to put Wenatchee ahead 2-1. The Thunderbirds tied the game with 3:43 left in the period, when Coster Dunn reached out to collect a rolling puck low in the right-wing faceoff circle and fired a sharp-angle chance. Wild goaltender Daniel Hauser leaped back across the net, but was not able to knock away Dunn’s scoring opportunity.

The teams combined for five shots on net in the five-minute overtime, but the result came down to Matej Pekar’s second-round goal in the shootout.

Rios’s goal extended his scoring streak to five straight games – all five of his appearances thus far in a Wenatchee uniform – and three straight games with a goal. Mannix’s goal gave the Wild a power play tally in 10 straight games and 11 of their last 12, and Hauser took the loss despite making 33 saves. Wenatchee moved to 8-11-3-1 with the loss, while Ratzlaff made 18 saves to help bump Seattle’s mark to 8-13-2-1 for the year.

Wenatchee returns to home ice against the Tri-City Americans in a Black Friday contest on November 29, as the NCW Community Toy Drive Presented by Les Schwab continues – the opening puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. Tickets for that game and all regular-season 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.

Wenatchee 1 0 1 0 – 2
Seattle 0 1 1 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Wenatchee, Rios 6 (Tansem), 0:57. Penalties-Boucher Sea (interference), 6:02; McCagherty Wen (roughing), 7:35; McCloskey Wen (holding), 7:35; Riley Sea (roughing), 7:35; Mannix Wen (cross checking), 13:30.

2nd Period-2, Seattle, Charko 4 (Martorana), 19:15 (SH). Penalties-Gerrior Sea (slashing), 1:13; Jeramiah Roberts Wen (tripping), 4:33; Pawlenchuk Sea (roughing), 9:27; Cumby Sea (slashing), 18:03.

3rd Period-3, Wenatchee, Mannix 3 (Joudrey), 1:27 (PP). 4, Seattle, Dunn 7 (Lovsin, Pilling), 16:17. Penalties-Martorana Sea (tripping), 1:22; Holberton Sea (roughing), 3:13.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout – Wenatchee 0 (Rios NG, Friesen NG, Cooper NG), Seattle 1 (Martorana NG, Pekar G, Dunn NG).
Shots on Goal-Wenatchee 7-6-5-2-0-20. Seattle 8-9-15-3-1-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Wenatchee 1 / 6; Seattle 0 / 3.
Goalies-Wenatchee, Hauser 5-4-2-1 (35 shots-33 saves). Seattle, Ratzlaff 6-7-1-1 (20 shots-18 saves).
A-6,072
Referees-Bradley Ford (40), Trevor Nolan (17).
Linesmen-Adam McMasters (166), Eric McLaughlin (135).