Wild Rattle Off Six Unanswered Goals To Surge Past Coquitlam Saturday, 6-3

WENATCHEE, Wash. – Summarizing Saturday’s second period between the Wenatchee Wild and Coquitlam Express ended up being like summarizing the winter weather in the Wenatchee Valley.

Just wait a few minutes…it’ll change.

Wenatchee erased a three-goal deficit in less than a three-minute span Saturday at Town Toyota Center, eventually rattling off six unanswered goals in a 6-3 victory over the Express, as the Wild earned their 20th victory of the season. The victory was the third of the year for the Wild involving a comeback from a deficit of three goals or more.

Two of those goals came in the first period – Ray Hamlin tossed one in from the left faceoff dot at 9:42 of the first period, and Liam Tanner scored on a second chance with 15.9 seconds left in the stanza for the 2-0 Express lead. With 3:19 off the second-period clock and just six seconds left on a Noah Jones penalty, Cameron Moger banged in a second chance on a long carom off the end boards for a 3-0 Coquitlam advantage.

At 5:51, the Wild march began – Micah Berger started the charge back with a breakaway goal, sliding the puck into the net under Brady Smith to cut the lead to 3-1. Cade Littler scored at 8:21 of the period off of a blocked shot to trim the deficit to 3-2, and Jason Stefanek took advantage of a 3-on-2 to tie the game just 20 seconds later.

The teams battled for the go-ahead goal for much of the final period, but with the Wild on a two-man advantage, Berger set up Parker Murray for a one-timer from the right point to take the lead with 6:18 left. Cade Littler hit the top of the net from the right wing with 3:22 remaining to double the lead, and Ean Somoza capped the night with 2:04 left on a goal from beyond the red line into the empty net.

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“It was pretty much a mirror image of [Friday] night, just flip the teams,” said Wenatchee assistant coach Leigh Mendelson. “We got a little slow out of the gate, and give everybody credit for hanging with it. We got some big plays, some big goals, and some big blocks. We’ve got to find a way to put 60 (minutes) together sometime heading toward the playoffs, but we’re excited for the guys.”

Littler headlined the Wild effort with two goals and an assist, while Berger and Somoza posted a goal and an assist apiece. Andy Vlaha made 20 saves, and even bagged an assist of his own, making the breakout pass that led to Littler’s third-period goal. The Wild scored on the power play for the fourth straight game, while Coquitlam finished 1-for-5 on the man-advantage. One night after starting with nine of the game’s first 10 shots, Wenatchee ended the evening by firing off 13 of the final 18 shots in the contest.

The second half of a four-game homestand begins on Friday, as the Cranbrook Bucks visit Town Toyota Center on Multicultural Night presented by Office Depot. The opening puck drop is slated for 7:05 p.m., with live coverage on Newsradio 560 KPQ and BCHL TV. To purchase tickets to that game or any upcoming home game, call 509-888-7825 or purchase online here. 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, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.