Wenatchee Wild Open WHL Playoffs This Weekend
PHOTO: Wenatchee Wild defenseman Karter Prosofsky flashes a smile as he skates past the bench after his third goal in Friday’s Western Hockey League game at Victoria. Prosofsky’s hat trick Friday helped the Wild seal home-ice advantage in the first round of the WHL playoffs. (Photo courtesy: Kevin Light/Victoria Royals)
By Austin Draude Wenatchee Wild Broadcast & Media Manager
The Wenatchee Wild have secured home-ice advantage in the 1st round of the WHL post season.
Wenatchee will open up the WHL Western Conference playoffs as the fourth seed vs. fifth-seeded Kelowna on Friday and Saturday, March 29th/30th at Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee.
Wenatchee will also host Game #5 and #7 in the best-of-seven game series, if it goes the distance. The first team to win four games will advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.
The Wild earned home ice advantage by virtue of their regular season record of 34-30-4-0 record with 72 points in the Western Conference.
Here is the full schedule for the Wenatchee Wild Kelowna Rockets Playoffs series (all times Pacific):
- Game 1: Friday, March 29 – Kelowna at Wenatchee, 7:00 p.m.
- Game 2: Saturday, March 30 – Kelowna at Wenatchee, 6:00 p.m.
- Game 3: Tuesday, April 2 – Wenatchee at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
- Game 4: Wednesday, April 3 – Wenatchee at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
- Game 5 (if necessary): Friday, April 5 – Kelowna at Wenatchee, 7:00 p.m.
- Game 6 (if necessary): Sunday, April 7 – Wenatchee at Kelowna, 2:05 p.m.
- Game 7 (if necessary): Tuesday, April 9 – Kelowna at Wenatchee, 6:00 p.m.
Follow the games live on NewsRadio 560KPQ/FM101.7 and streamed live on KPQ.com or the KPQ app.
Single -game playoff tickets are now on sale, and are available by phone at 509-888-7825, online at www.wenatcheewildhockey.com, and in person through the Wild front office.
Wild Close Out Regular Season Saturday in Everett
With the goal of home-ice advantage achieved for the first round of the Western Hockey League playoffs, it was time for a few different faces to step into the Wenatchee Wild lineup.
Kenta Isogai and Karter Prosofsky enjoyed a well-earned evening off Saturday after blocking shots, and drawing a few dents and dings, throughout a 4-2 win over the Victoria Royals on Friday. Saturday’s game saw the Wild close out their inaugural regular season in the WHL with a 6-2 loss at the Everett Silvertips.
“I thought there were some spurts where we played pretty good and we got some really good looks,” said head coach Roy Sommer. “The biggest thing was, everyone got an opportunity to play, so the guys that hadn’t gotten into a lot of games recently got a chance to play and see how they were progressing.”
Wenatchee"s Brendan Gee finished the season tied for the team lead in wins, taking the loss behind a 34-save performance and finishing his rookie WHL campaign at 17-13-1-0. Wood finished his final junior season with 62 points, while Graham Sward earned an assist and tied a team record for defensemen with his 81st point of the season.
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Gallery Credit: Brian Budzynski