Wenatchee Starts Road Trip With OT Battle in Everett

Austin Draude Wenatchee Wild Media & Broadcast Manager

The Wenatchee Wild came into the Western Hockey League looking to build rivalries with their new counterparts in Washington state, and they appear to have a willing partner just across Stevens Pass.

After going to overtime in their preseason meeting on September 10, the Wild went back to overtime Friday with the Everett Silvertips before falling by a 3-2 count. Wenatchee battled back to tie Friday’s game twice, but Dominik Rymon’s goal with 1:01 remaining clinched the victory for the hosts at Angel of the Winds Arena. Wenatchee falls to 1-1-1-0 on the year with the loss, while the Silvertips climbed to 2-1-0-0.

Rymon scored first for Everett at the 7:03 mark of the first period, banging in a one-timer from Caden Brown on the rush. Wenatchee answered on the power play with 5:37 left in the second period, as Graham Sward found Sota Isogai along the goal line and Isogai curled the puck across the top of the goal crease, jamming the puck past Tyler Palmer for the equalizer.

Everett took the lead back with 10:30 to play, when Cade Zaplitny jousted home a rebound in mid-air off of an initial shot from Roan Woodward for a 2-1 advantage. Sward made his mark again for the Wild with 2:11 to play, though, weaving the puck through the defense before snapping a wrist shot past Palmer from the right-wing circle to put the teams even again.

With 1:01 left, Rymon made his final mark on the contest, driving the puck down the right half and sending home a wrist shot from the faceoff circle for the game-winner and his second career multi-goal game in the WHL.

“It was a hard-fought game,” said associate head coach Chris Clark. “I’m proud of the guys for sticking with it – getting down in the third on the road is not an easy thing to come back from. Daniel (Hauser) was incredible in net tonight – he gave us a chance, and when you get to 3-on-3, anything can happen. I’m really proud of the effort, and it’s definitely another good building block for us.”

Rymon had the only multi-point showing in the game for Everett, while Sward’s two points highlighted the night for the Wild. His second-period assist pushed him to a career milestone as well, moving past the 100-point plateau in his WHL career. Hauser made 41 saves in the loss, while Palmer stopped 26 Wild shots to earn the victory. Wenatchee wrapped up the evening with a 1-for-3 mark on the power play, and turned aside both Silvertips power plays.

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Wenatchee’s season-long eight-game Western Conference road swing continues Saturday evening, with a visit to the Kelowna Rockets. The opening puck drop at Prospera Place is slated for 7:05 p.m., with live coverage available on Newsradio 560 KPQ and WHL Live.

For updated news and information on Wild hockey, visit the team’s website and on the team’s social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.