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PHOTO CREDIT: Design Cafe Photography

The Wenatchee Wilderness U16AAA team traveled to West Palm Beach, FL over the weekend to skate in the ECEL “Play The Beach Spring Classic”. The Wilderness went 2-2-0 in the four games.

Action began for Wenatchee on Thursday night against the Elite Hockey Academy, resulting in a 3-2 win for the Wilderness. Luke Pizzey scored a pair of goals, the first one on a great back door pass from Roman Templeton, and then netted the game-winner into an empty net. Loghan Weber sandwiched one in between. Luke Neilson stopped 19 of 21 shots to get the win. Bobby Anselmo had a huge blocked shot with :02 left with the goalie pulled to secure the win. The Wilderness won with 3 D and a forward (Kage Ballard) filling in on the back end. Wenatchee outshot EHA 26-21.

Friday at 10a the Wilderness were back on the ice, this time against the Florida Wave. Wenatchee got goals from Loghan Weber and Bobby Anselmo (PPG). Weber’s goal was a nice one touch passing play by Spencer Stenholm and Roman Templeton before they found Weber going to the net at the top of the circle. Anselmo’s goal was a goal mouth scramble following Connor Jensen’s point shot that had Will Somers and Luke Pizzey each get a crack at it before it slid to Anselmo wide open on the back door for the tap in. Leading 2-1 at that point, Wenatchee penalty trouble led to two Florida PP goals which the Wilderness couldn’t recover from. The Wilderness had a PP chance late in the game and pulled the goalie but fell short in a 3-2 loss. Xaus Landry was in net, stopping 25 of 28 shots. Wenatchee fired 26 SOG.

A 3p faceoff with the CA Golden Bears meant a short turnaround, but the Bears were ready to go and came the Wilderness hard and fast. Coach Kyle Brodie reported, “They out chanced us heavily in the early going before they scored to go up 1-0, then scored again :25 later.” Just :20 seconds later Wenatchee chipped away at the lead on a rebound goal by Roman Templeton off a point shot from Kage Ballard with Loghan Weber earning the second assist. Wenatchee tied the game up a minute later on a goal by Grig Kaagan (Coen Wood). Striking while the proverbial iron was hot, :30 seconds later the Wilderness took the lead on Templeton’s second goal in a two minute span (Spencer Stenholm, Loghan Weber). The Golden Bears would respond to tie it later in the period on a PP goal but going into the ice cut the game was tied at 3-3, with CA holding a 20-12 shots advantage. The second half saw Wenatchee take the lead roughly ten minutes in on a goal by Spencer Stenholm (Connor Jensen, Loghan Weber), but two minutes later CA tied it once again. The score would remain locked 4-4 until a late CA goal with 6 minutes remaining. The Wilderness pulled the goalie to try and tie it, but were unable to as CA scored on the empty net with :07 left for the 6-4 final. Wenatchee outshot the Golden Bears in the second half 24-14, but to no avail. Luke Neilson denied 28 of 33 CA shots, and Loghan Weber added three assists to go along with a 2-goal game for Roman Templeton.

Determined to finish the Florida trip on a strong note, Wenatchee dominated the play in a Saturday 10a tilt with the PAL Islanders, leading 1-0 at the midgame ice cut on a goal by Connor Jensen on the power play, a seeing eye shot through bodies and a great screen with Will Somers in front. Following the ice cut Wenatchee had a 5-on-3 power play and gave up a shin pad breakaway that trickled over the line to tie the game. On the same 5-on-3 after giving up the goal, a nice passing play lead a back door tap in for Loghan Weber and the Wilderness had reclaimed the lead. Now a 5-on-4, the second PP unit went out and Roman Templeton found Spencer Stenholm in the slot for another tap in to go up 3-1. Frustration seemed to set in for the Islanders, as they took a few more penalties and got away with a few too. Connor Jensen buried another shot from the point to go up 4-1, then on the next face off, Will Somers ripped a shot to the top corner to go up 5-1. The Islanders scored on a goal mouth scramble to make it 5-2, but Spencer Stenholm quickly responded again to go up 6-2. Shorthanded in the last minute of the game, Wenatchee got a 2-on-1 with Jensen and Stenholm, two players that had two goals apiece on the day. Stenholm unselfishly passed to Jensen, who went far side blocker to register the first hat trick of his career. Xaus Landry picked up the win in net.

The Wenatchee U16AAA Wilderness move on the State Tournament this weekend in Seattle.