Wild Blank Vees 2-0 as Tvrznik Stops 40 Shots

Wenatchee and Penticton have a long history. The Wild and the Vees spent eight seasons as neighbors in the British Columbia Hockey League before both jumped to the WHL, and their games have rarely been quiet. Friday night at Town Toyota Center was no exception, even if the scoreboard stayed still for a while.

Tobias Tvrznik and Penticton’s Kaenan Smith each turned back everything for the first 38 minutes. Together, they stopped the first 36 shots of the game.

The Break, and the Finish

With two minutes left in the second period, Rui Han finally cracked it. Drew Smith’s point shot got lost in traffic to Smith’s left, and Nolan Caffey slipped the puck to Han, whose wrist shot found the top of the net. It was Han’s second game-winner against Penticton in as many years, and both came on his first goal of the season.

The Vees threw everything they had at Wenatchee in the third period, outshooting the Wild 19-5. Tvrznik didn’t flinch. The Wild also killed three penalties in a row, and the penalty kill finished a perfect 3-for-3.

Ty Coupland, the Wild’s newest addition, sealed it with just under a minute to play. As Levi Benson raced a Penticton defender to the puck in the Vees’ zone, Coupland hammered a slot chance into the empty net.

Tvrznik’s 40 saves earned his second career WHL shutout. Smith took the loss for Penticton, stopping 19 of 20 shots.

Wenatchee Wild

A Milestone for the Bench

The win also moved Don Nachbaur into second place on the WHL’s all-time wins list. It was his 743rd victory, one more than longtime Portland coach Ken Hodge. For a coach who has spent decades behind WHL benches, that’s a number worth noting.

Wenatchee improved to 3-5-1-0. Penticton dropped to 4-6-0-1, its fifth straight loss.

The homestand continues Saturday at 6 p.m. against the Kamloops Blazers for Healthcare Workers’ Night. Kids get in free, thanks to Columbia Valley Community Health. Single-game tickets, group packages, and flex plans are on sale for all home games, and season tickets are available at 509-888-7825 or the team office at Town Toyota Center. If you’ve been waiting for a good night to take the family, Saturday’s a good one.