GAME BOXSCORE | WATCH ON BCHL TV
WENATCHEE, Wash. – Friday’s British Columbia Hockey League game in Wenatchee saw a slow, steady climb back for the Trail Smoke Eaters before falling in a shootout against the Wenatchee Wild. In Saturday’s game, the climb was more swift, and the only questions were which team would finally get on the board, and when.
The Wild built a 2-0 lead in the opening seconds of the third period, but the Smoke Eaters came all the way back to take a 3-2 shootout victory at Town Toyota Center, ending a six-game Wenatchee winning streak. The Wild point streak, however, remains very much alive with at least one standings point in seven consecutive games heading into a three-game road swing in the coming week.
The two teams battled it out for more than 35 minutes without getting a puck to the back of the net – finally, with 4:13 left in the second period on Wenatchee’s 22nd shot of the night, Ean Somoza (Simi Valley, Calif./Wenatchee Wild) and Luke Weilandt (Northbrook, Ill./Green Bay Gamblers) dashed toward the Trail net, with Somoza feeding Weilandt a backdoor pass for the opening goal of the game.
Wenatchee doubled the lead just 26 seconds out of the intermission, when Micah Berger (Bethesda, Md./Sioux Falls Stampede) and Christian Kim (Torrance, Calif./Anaheim Jr. Ducks 16U) charged into the Trail zone on a 2-on-1 – Kim found Berger with the final pass, and his snap beat goaltender Teagan Kendrick to make it a 2-0 game.
Mathieu Cobetto-Roy took over the third period for Trail, notching a goal at 7:38 from above the faceoff circles to make it 2-1, and setting up Brady Hunter for a wrist shot to tie the game with 3:24 remaining.
While the Wild had the shots-on-goal advantage in every period of regulation, Trail had a 5-2 margin in the overtime session, including a goal-mouth scramble in the opening minute and a shot that rang off the post in the final seconds and was quickly swept away from the net. The shootout went only two rounds, with Josh Schenk and Hunter both scoring on their chances, while both Wenatchee shots were unsuccessful.
Owen Millward (Davis, Calif./Janesville Jets) took the loss, seeing a personal four-game winning streak come to an end despite making 37 saves, while Kendrick earned the win behind a 48-save effort. Cobetto-Roy came away with the only multi-point game, posting a goal and an assist for Trail. The 50 shots on net marked a new season-high for the Wild, besting a 48-shot performance against Merritt to open the month, and the best showing for Wenatchee since their December 17, 2021 matchup with the Centennials.
The Wild head on the road for a three-game trip through the Interior Conference, starting with a visit to Cranbrook on Wednesday evening, followed by stops in Trail on Friday and Vernon on Saturday. Wednesday’s opening puck drop at Western Financial Place is slated for 6 p.m., with live coverage on Newsradio 560 KPQ and BCHL TV.
Wenatchee returns home on December 9 to face the Penticton Vees in the team’s Ugly Sweater contest, presented by Dick’s Heating and Air Conditioning. To purchase tickets to that game or any upcoming home game, call 509-888-7825 or click here. Updated news and information on Wild hockey are always available at www.wenatcheewildhockey.com and on the team’s social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Trail 0 0 2 0 0 – 3
Wenatchee 0 1 1 0 0 – 2
1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Valdez Wen (hooking), 15:16; Disher Tra (hooking), 16:54.
2nd Period-1, Wenatchee, Weilandt 10 (Somoza, Murray), 15:47. Penalties-Littler Wen (slashing), 6:46.
3rd Period-2, Wenatchee, Berger 6 (Kim, Littler), 0:26. 3, Trail, Cobetto-Roy 7 (Remissong), 7:38 (PP). 4, Trail, Hunter 7 (Cobetto-Roy), 16:36. Penalties-Warrener Tra (tripping), 0:26; Seeley Tra (cross-checking), 2:45; Marshall Tra (slashing), 5:15; Bohnet Wen (tripping), 7:26; Marshall Tra (blow to the head minor), 8:46; Willoughby Tra (unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:46; Littler Wen (unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:46; Marshall Tra (misconduct), 9:16; Bushy Tra (tripping), 13:23; Littler Wen (hooking), 14:29; Kurrle Tra (tripping), 17:46.
1st OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties
2nd OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties
Shootout – Trail 2 (Schenk G, Hunter G), Wenatchee 0 (Murray NG, Somoza NG).
Shots on Goal-Trail 10-11-13-5-0-1-40. Wenatchee 12-16-20-2-0-0-50.
Power Play Opportunities-Trail 1 / 4; Wenatchee 0 / 6.
Goalies-Trail, Kendrick 5-7-1-1 (50 shots-48 saves). Wenatchee, Millward 4-5-0-1 (39 shots-37 saves).
A-2,334
Referees-Mike Ellis (88), Jarrod Boman (104).
Linesmen-Chris Hastings (132), Thomas Williams (125).
