(PHOTO: Cade Stibbe became a Wild “Iron Man” by playing in all 54 regular season games.
CREDIT: Garrett James Photography)
The BCHL extended the regular season by a full week in order to accommodate the playing of games that had been canceled or needed to be rescheduled due to varying issues over the year. The Wild had a weekend schedule taking them to Trail on Friday and Cranbrook on Saturday.
Ten minutes into the game on Friday in Trail, Wild defenseman Connor Overson was shaken up on a play, and was eventually stretchered off the ice. He was tested at the local hospital and released, thanks in part to prompt and proficient medical attention on site. The situation was unnerving enough in the moment for all concerned that the game was ultimately cancelled.
Saturday night’s game in Cranbrook took a sour turn for the Wild early, as the Bucks scored twice in the first minute of play, then made it 3-0 at the 2:47 mark. Wenatchee spent their time out and settled things down, but were unable to score and the score remained 3-0 into the third period. Cranbrook added one more for the 4-0 final, the last regular season game of the year for both teams. The Wild were narrowly outshot, 30-29.
After the game, Wild Head Coach Chris Clark said, “We dug ourselves into too big of a hole the first 5 minutes and that was the difference. We need to flush this one and get back to our brand of hockey next week. I’m proud of the strides we have made down the stretch and we’re looking forward to getting going against Salmon Arm. Come Monday, we are all 0-0.”
Wenatchee opens their best-of-seven playoff series in Salmon Arm with Game 1 on Saturday April 2 at 7pm PDT. Game 2 follows Sunday at 5pm, also in Salmon Arm. Live radio coverage will be available on NewsRadio 560 KPQ with video available at bchltv.ca. Arch Ecker provides play-by-play.
Vaccine card mandates are no longer required AND NO MASKS at Wild home games.
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