The Wenatchee Wild are one one away from reaching the Fred Page Cup final.
Captain AJ Vanderbeck and Jasper Weatherby each scored and Austin Park stopped 27 shots as the Wild grounded the Trail Smoke Eaters 2-1 before 2,526 fans at Cominco Arena.
Wenatchee leads the best-of-seven semifinal series 3-0. Game 4 goes tonight in Trail.
With just over eight minutes to play in the first, Spencer McLean broke in with Vernon minor hockey grad Blaine Caton, and using Caton as a decoy, fired a low shot past Park for a 1-0 Trail lead. It was McLean’s sixth goal of the playoffs and Caton’s sixth assist (he has three goals).
The Wild fired back when Vanderbeck drove to the net and deftly tipped in a perfect cross-ice pass from d-man Zak Galambos to tie it with 2:53 left in the period. Wenatchee carried momentum into the second period, and after Weatherby’s goal, Adam Marcoux robbed Wild forward Josh Arnold on a breakaway, then foiled a 2-on-1 with a huge pad save off Weatherby.
Trail came right back, as Andre Ghantous made a slick toe drag and wired a shot off the blocker of Park. Moments later Columbus Blue Jacket property Kale Howarth fired another shot from the hash mark that Park made a glove save on, then stymied McLean on a backhand in close.
Weatherby’s 11th goal of the postseason ties him for most in the BCHL playoffs and also gives him a league-high 24 points. Park was at his best for the Wild in the third period where he stopped all 15 Trail shots.
Meanwhile, Nolan Welsh bagged two goals and Layton Ahac and Blake Hayward chipped added singles as the visitin Prince George Spruce Kings shaded the Powell River Kings 5-4 before 1,106 fans Tuesday night at Hap Parker Arena. The Spruce Kings lead the series 3-1.
Hayward and Welsh got Prince George on the board with first-period goals, but Powell River replied in the second with goals from Carmine Buono, Neal Samanski and Ben Berard to take a 3-2 lead.
Welsh and Ahac answered for the Spruce Kings before the end of the period for a 4-3 lead after 40 minutes. Dustin Manz extended the Prince George lead 30 seconds into the period, while Kevin Obssuth scored for Powell River with under three minutes to play, but Prince George and goaltender Evan DeBrouwer, who made 33 saves, held on.
Carter Turnbull had three assists for Powell River. Berard’s goal was his 11th of the playoffs which ties him for most in the BCHL. Prince George will have a chance to eliminate Powell River at home in Game 5 on Thursday night.
A crowd of 1,708 at the Centennial Regional Arena was treated to the seventh-longest game in Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) history on Tuesday night, but was sent home heartbroken as Tanner Laderoute (Edmonton) tipped a point shot at 9:23 of the third extra frame to give the Okotoks Oilers a dramatic 5-4 win over the Brooks Bandits.
The win ties the series at two wins a piece, meaning the series will stretch to at least a Game 6, which will be Sunday night in Brooks.