Wenatchee closes weekend with 4-2 Win, Hauser earns 100th WHL victory

WENATCHEE – Sunday evening’s game at Town Toyota Center will be one worth remembering for a long time, for a long list of reasons. Two players recorded personal milestones, while another landed on the score sheet for the very first time in the Western Hockey League, as the Wenatchee Wild wrapped up a six-game homestand with a 4-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. The Wild have closed seven weeks with a home game so far this season, earning points in the WHL standings in six of those games.

Wenatchee’s first two-minute power play lasted just 18 seconds – Deagan McMillan ripped a wrist shot from the left-wing faceoff dot past Kamloops goaltender Logan Edmonstone with 7:07 left in the first period, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead after the opening stanza.

The Wild found themselves fighting off a double-minor in the second period, but Lukas McCloskey would shake the puck free in the Wild zone and help Miles Cooper drive it up the left wing before sending a shot to the back half of the net at 8:39 of the period for a 2-0 Wenatchee advantage. Emmitt Finnie took advantage of a late power play and sent a shot just under the crossbar with 3:40 left in the period, keeping the Wild edge at a goal going to the third.

Luka Shcherbyna’s forehand wrister from the left wing gave the Wild a two-goal lead again less than three minutes into the third, but Finnie again aimed a shot into the top of the cage with the extra attacker at the 17:40 mark, trimming the deficit to 3-2. With the Blazers’ net empty once more, McCloskey cleared the puck off the glass deep in the Wild end and sent it into the open cage with 1:12 to go, earning his first WHL goal.

It was a historic night for goaltender Daniel Hauser, earning his 100^th career Western Hockey League victory with 30 saves and helping Wenatchee climb to 7-10-3-0 on the season. Reid Andresen notched an assist on McMillan’s power play tally, picking up his 100^th career point. Head coach Don Nachbaur ended the weekend on the doorstep of a major coaching milestone, earning his 699^th career victory behind a WHL bench.

“We had everyone. Tonight, I didn’t think there was a guy in our lineup who stood around and was a passenger,” said Wild assistant coach Dan Johnston. “It was great for our guys to come together and make a full effort. At this point, it almost feels like another day at the office for [Daniel] – he’s been outstanding. We’ve been lucky to have him, and he’s built a lot of confidence into our group.”

For McCloskey, the weekend marked a memorable return to Wenatchee, where he played during the 2022-23 season in the British Columbia Hockey League. His goal and two assists led all scorers in the game, only his second WHL appearance, while Kamloops was led by Finnie’s two goals and Tommy Lafreniere’s two assists. Wenatchee was successful on the power play for the seventh straight game, going 1-for-3, while Kamloops finished 1-for-4. Edmonstone took the loss despite making 32 saves, as the Blazers dropped back to 11-10-1-0 for the year.

The next three games for Wenatchee are on the road, starting with a visit to the Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday. The opening puck drop at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The Wild are next on home ice against the Tri-City Americans in a Black Friday contest on November 29 – 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.