As the Wenatchee Wild prepare to make a playoff run, another local hockey team is enjoying some success as well.

The 18-and-under group with the Wenatchee Amateur Hockey Association (WAHA) won the Washington State 'B' Hockey Tournament in Spokane over the weekend.

The team finished with four wins and one loss and edged out the Sno-King Jr. Thunderbirds by two points.

If you're not familiar with WAHA, coach Marco Aurilio says the program strives to give the area's youth access to fun and affordable hockey instruction.

"We have a Learn To Play program that's $100 a season. We have a bunch of free gear to give out. And we're just trying to give kids something to do on the ice with the county owned Town Toyota Center so that they have the ability to say hey, if the sport works for me, I can take it as far as I can." Aurilio said.

Aurilio says hockey is reasonably popular in the Wenatchee Valley, but he doesn't think the sport has reached its potential in the region.

"I'm originally from Boston, New England where a huge percentage of kids play hockey. We're still building that percentage and we're trying to create access and equity for all kids. You know, we don't see a lot of minority groups playing hockey. We want to reach out to them. There are grants for that." Aurilio said.

Last weekend's tournament wrapped up the WAHA season, but it's not too late to think about next year.

"Get on the website, find out all the dates and sign up and say hey, I can't afford it or I need gear or whatever it is. And we will absolutely work with you." Aurilio said.

To see what WAHA has to offer, click here.

You can also learn more about the association by attending this Friday's Wenatchee Wild game for "WAHA Night at the Wild".

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