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Wenatchee sent two of their development teams to compete in the Phoenix Presidents Day Invitational Hockey Tournament over the weekend. The Wenatchee Warriors competed in the 16AA Midget category, while the Wenatchee Wolverines skated in the U14AAA Bantam Division.

The Warriors kicked off their weekend on Friday with a 6a faceoff with OCHC Glomboske (Orange County). Wenatchee got goals from Gino Sanchez (Parker Platt) and a power play goal from Lleyton Wilson (Andre Cho, Eli Bailey). Goalie Dylan Pike turned aside 14 of 17 shots but the Warriors came up short in a 3-2 loss. Later that evening, Wenatchee faced Lucky 17 Phillips (Ventura) and fell behind 3-0 after 2 periods. The Warriors pulled to within a goal after third period tallies from Andre Cho (Gino Sanchez, Luke Byrd) and Judah Bomley (unassisted), but the Lucky 17 club gathered three more scores to pull away with a 6-2 win. Goalie Sam Brasch faced 34 shots and stopped 28.  

The Warriors rebounded with a 1-0 win over the Alaska Oilers on Saturday. Wenatchee had 7 power play opportunities and it was a power play goal from Andre Cho (Eli Bailey) that proved to be the difference in the game. The Warriors only took one penalty in the game, but a solid 25 save shutout performance from Dylan Pike helped lift Wenatchee to victory. The Warriors had a berth in the QuarterFinal round where they faced the top-seeded McKinney (TX) North Stars. Andre Cho picked off a pass, gained the zone and rocketed the shot high glove side to get Wenatchee an early 1-0 lead, but the North Stars rallied to build a 5-1 lead. Andre Cho (Eli Bailey) buried a nice backhander late to make it a 5-2 final, as Cho closed out his tournament appearance with 5 points (4g, 1a).

The U14 Wenatchee Wolverines came out of the gate hot, posting a 6-0 win over the Jr. Ducks Vasilevksi on Friday afternoon. Goals were scored by Grace Littler (Jack Muhfeld), Seth Sween (unassisted), Wyatt Beck (Seth Sween), Nick Roy (Kaydence Kelley, Kael Jackson), and Kael Jackson (unassisted). Goalie Thomas Cafarelli stopped all 38 shots he faced for the win. On Saturday, Wenatchee took on Golden State Elite. Kaydence Kelley (unassisted) notched a power play goal late in the first period, but Golden State rallied with two in the third to post a 2-1 win. Andrew Lacrosse stopped 26 of 28 shots. A quick turnaround had the Wolverines back on the ice at 6:30 am on Sunday to skate with the SD Jr. Gulls Carlyle, where Wenatchee would post a 3-0 win. The Wolverines outshot the Gulls 26-11 and Jack Muhfeld scored twice, assisting on the third (scored by Seth Sween on the power play). Moving into the SemiFinal game, Wenatchee faced a rematch with the Gulls. Trailing 1-0 midway through, Seth Sween (Kael Jackson) knotted the game at a goal apiece in the second period. However, a third period score from the Gulls lifted them to a 2-1 win, leaving Wenatchee to finish third in the six-team bracket. Wenatchee goaltenders Thomas Cafarelli (1.00) and Andrew Lacrosse (.957) finished first and third respectively overall in the tournament in save percentage.

Up next for the U16 Warriors they’ll travel to their first league showcase, the ECEL Showcase in Palm Springs, FL March 20-22. The U14 Wolverines will skate in a tournament in Coeur d’Alene March 12-14.