Royals score 3-0 win Saturday in season’s first meeting with Wild

WENATCHEE – The Wenatchee Wild will look to close out another weekend on a high note on Sunday, after the Victoria Royals closed their own weekend with a win Saturday at Town Toyota Center.

Spencer Michnik stopped all 22 Wenatchee shots on goal as the Royals came away with a 3-0 victory, improving to 4-1-1-0 on the season. The Wild got strong goaltending from Daniel Hauser in the loss, making 23 saves on 25 Victoria shots, while the penalty-killing units combined to finish a perfect 4-for-4. The Wild moved to 2-2-1-0 with the loss, as the teams get set to see each other again next weekend when the Wild travel to Victoria for a two-game set Friday and Saturday.

Victoria got its opening goal early, when Logan Pickford played a rebound off of Hauser from below the goal line and got the favorable bounce for a 1-0 lead 4:12 into the game. With 4:55 left in the second period, Justin Kipkie fired a shot down the slot and hit the top half of the net, putting the visitors ahead by two. A throw from Reggie Newman at the Royals’ blue line found the empty Wenatchee net with 3:37 remaining to close out the night.

“We had some good looks early,” said Wenatchee associate head coach Chris Clark. “Unfortunately, we didn’t capitalize, and they settled in. We weren’t able to sustain much offense – Victoria played a really structured game. They made it really hard to come through the neutral zone, which resulted in us turning pucks over, and having to spend a lot of time in our end. They played a very physical game. It was a good learning opportunity for us tonight.”

Pickford closed out the night with a goal and an assist, while Teydon Trembecky earned a pair of assists of his own for the Royals. Victoria ended up with a 26-22 edge on the shot chart, despite the Wild posting the game’s first four shots on the net. Wenatchee won the battle at the faceoff dot for the second time, closing out the game with a 36-28 gap in its favor.

The turnaround to Wenatchee’s next game will be a brief one, with the Kamloops Blazers scheduled to drop by for a Sunday matinee. The Wild have closed out both weekends with wins so far this season, earning a 7-1 victory against the Seattle Thunderbirds in their season opener on September 21, before ending a three-game weekend last Sunday with a 4-2 triumph over the Prince George Cougars.

Sunday’s game is Mom & Son Night presented by Deer Haven Apartments, with the opening puck drop at Town Toyota Center scheduled for 4 p.m. Tickets for that game and all regular-season home games are on sale now by phone at 509-888-7825, 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.