Wild top Hitmen to end winless streak at six
WENATCHEE - Ben Carey (Centennial, Colo.) recorded a hat trick and the Wenatchee Wild ended a 6-game winless streak Saturday night with a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Hitmen at the Town Toyota Center.
The Hitmen drew first blood 8:31 into the contest when Tony Domico scored on a rebound off Joe Graveline's shot. The Wild bounced back, tying the game, 1-1, three minutes later on Carey's goal. Entering the Chicago zone down the far wing, Carey stopped quickly at the top of the faceoff circle and scored on a top-shelf wrist shot. Zach Frye (Spokane, Wash.) assisted. Chicago took a 1-goal lead into the locker room, however, when Vincent Somma scored 5-hole during a man-advantage late in the first frame.
The Wild erupted for four goals in the second period and took a 5-3 lead into the final 20 minutes of regulation. Michael Di Puma (Chicago, Ill.) tied the score, 2-2, 2:30 into the second frame when he jammed in his 10th goal of the season. Zachary Wallace (Burbank, Calif.) and Kyle Huson (Parker, Colo.) assisted. Tyler Hope (McKinney, Texas) gave Wenatchee its first lead of the night at the 12-minute mark of the second frame when he scored on a wrister from above the near circle off a pass from D.J. Vandercook (Farmington Hills, Mich.).
Carey extended Wenatchee's lead to 4-2 just 17 seconds after Hope's goal when he scored on a turnaround wrist shot from just outside of the goal crease. Max McHugh (Edgewood, Wash.) and Huson assisted. Moments later, a turnover by the Wild at its own blue line led to an unassisted breakaway goal by Joe Sposit. The Wild got that goal back when Frye directed in Blake Saylor's (Centennial, Colo.) shot form the far point. Huson picked up the second assist on the play, which was his third helper of the game.
Carey increased Wenatchee's lead to 6-3 when he scored his third goal of the game early in the third period on a pass from Bradley Shumway (Lafayette, Colo.). James Albrecht cut the Wild lead back to two goals later in the final frame when he scored on a rebound, but Carl-Johan Sjogren (Sodertalje, Sweden) put the game away for the Wild with a short-handed empty-net goal from the center stripe late in regulation.
Goaltender Nick Kulmanovsky (Fairbanks, Alaska), acquired this week from the Fargo Force of the USHL, made 35 saves on 39 shots to earn his first win in his first start with the Wild. Peter Mason and Nicholas Kohn combined to make 26 saves on 32 shots. Wenatchee limited Chicago to one power-play goal on eight chances and scored two power-play goals on its three chances.
Carey scored three goals to increase his points total to 20 (10G, 10A) while Huson notched three assists. Frye scored a goal and an assist and Vandercook recorded two assists. Domico (1G, 1A) and Hunter Brown (2A) each scored two points for the Hitmen.
The Wild (14-10-2) will host a 2-game series against the Alaska Avalanche next weekend (Dec. 3-4). Both games of the series are slated to begin at 7:05 p.m.
Wild acquires Meija, Kulmanovsky
The Wenatchee Wild announced that it has acquired defenseman/forward John Mejia (Chicago, Ill.) and goaltender Nicholas Kulmanovsky (Fairbanks, Alaska).
Mejia was acquired in a trade with the Alexandria Blizzard for a 2011 third-round draft pick. At 6 feet three inches tall and 225 pounds, Mejia brings a physical game to the Wild lineup.
"Being a bigger guy, I'm not the fastest ... but I'm relentless and I'm a good body checker," Mejia said.
Mejia played in 12 games with the Blizzard this season, registering one goal in 12 games. Mejia saw ice time at forward and defense with the Blizzard.
"I'm very versatile," said Mejia. "It doesn't matter where I play as long as I can contribute to the team.
The Wild signed Kulmanovsky after he was released by the Fargo Force of the United State Hockey League (USHL). He started six games with the Force this season, posting a goals-against average of 2.82 and a save percentage of .890.
"He comes pretty highly recommended," Rod Collins, Wenatchee Wild interim head coach, said of Kulmanovsky.
Kulmanovsky, 17, is 5 feet nine inches tall and 160 pounds.
The Wild released forward Nick Anderson (Sacramento, Calif.) to make room on its roster for Kulmanovsky and Mejia. Anderson, 16, scored one goal in 12 games with the Wild.