Wenatchee Narrows Third-Period Gap Friday, But Drops 6-3 Decision to Spokane

WENATCHEE – Down 4-1 in the third period of Friday’s Western Hockey League contest at Town Toyota Center, the Wenatchee Wild were able to narrow the gap with back-to-back goals from Hayden Moore and Maddix McCagherty, but the last word came from the Spokane Chiefs in a 6-3 decision. The Chiefs finished their season-opening road trip 2-1 after splitting a pair of games last week at Prince George, while the Wild moved to 1-1 ahead of their first road trip of the new season.

Zane Saab gave the Wild their first shorthanded strike of the new season, when McCagherty found Saab in front of the net for a backhand goal in transition just 5:27 into the game. The Chiefs’ first goal came at 10:08 on the power play, when Shea Van Olm tapped in a tying rebound. Mathis Preston peeled away from the Wenatchee defense to score from the right-wing faceoff circle with 1:46 remaining in the period to send Spokane to the break with a 2-1 lead.

Owen Martin and Cameron Parr teamed up on the next two goals, as Parr set Martin up for a one-timer on a 2-on-1 with 5:41 left in the second period. Martin returned the favor in the third, setting up Parr for a one-timer from the left-wing circle at the 6:12 mark. The Wild response needed less than a minute, with Luka Shcherbyna feeding a pass to Moore on the left wing to make it 4-2.

McCagherty further trimmed the lead with 8:22 left, following a takeaway by Ty Fraser at the Wenatchee blue line – Fraser found McCagherty on a 2-on-1 rush to cut the lead back to 4-3. However, a second-chance carom off of Rasmus Ekstrom pushed the puck past Daniel Hauser with 5:40 remaining to give Spokane a two-goal lead. With Wenatchee on the power play, Nathan Mayes heaved the puck from his own end into the empty Wild net for the game’s final goal with 28 seconds to go.

McCagherty had the only multi-point game for Wenatchee, picking up a goal and an assist, while Martin’s goal and two assists led the offense for the Chiefs. Van Olm and Parr each finished the night with a goal and an assist. Hauser took his first loss of the new season despite 36 saves, while Dawson Cowan made 32 saves to pick up the win in his 2024-25 debut. Spokane finished the night 1-for-5 on the power play, and turned aside all seven Wild power play chances.

Wenatchee briefly steps away from its season-opening homestand Saturday with a visit to the Seattle Thunderbirds. The opening puck drop at Accesso Showare Center is slated for 6:05 p.m. The Wild return home Sunday for Faith and Community Night against the Prince George Cougars – 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. Wild 2024-25 season tickets also remain on sale – 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.