Wild opens season with a win over Jr. Blues

BLAINE, Minn. - The new-look Wenatchee Wild, a speedy skilled group, opened the 2012-13 season Wednesday with a 6-4 victory over the Springfield Jr. Blues at the Schwan Super Rink during the first day of competition at the NAHL Showcase Tournament.

Dylan Abood (Centennial, Col.) gave the Wild an early lead 7:56 into the first period when he scored on a high shot from above the near faceoff circle. Josh Hartley (Coquitlam, Canada) and Jono Davis (La Verne, Calif.) assisted.

The Wild went up 2-0 with 54 seconds remaining in the first period. Off of a hard rush into the offensive zone, Chris Jones (Normandy Park, Wash.) banged in a rebound on the doorstep off of a Nate Flynn (Hastings, Minn.) shot. Blake Roubos (Niagara Falls, Canada) set up the play on a centering feed to Flynn.

Springfield cut Wenatchee's lead in half 8:23 into the second period when Mike Fazio scored on his backhand on a breakaway. Alex Baskakov and Tom Cooney notched the assists. 

Like they did in the first period, however, Wenatchee scored another goal late in the second period. This time, with 55 seconds remaining before the second intermission, David Mead (Conklin, N.Y.) scored on a rocket of a one-timer from the blue line. Davis fed Mead while Roubos tacked on the second helper. 

Wenatchee and Springfield exchanged three goals apiece in the third period. The Jr. Blues scored first less than two minutes into the final stanza on Trevor Stone's marker. Cooney picked up his second assist of the game on the goal. The Wild came right back to reclaim their 2-goal lead when Hartley skated around multiple defenders and beat the netminder one-on-one with a 5-hold shot with just over 15 minutes left in the third period. 

Springfield closed to within one goal again at the 8:08 mark of the third period when Theo Tydingco knocked in a rebound off a Cooney shot. Jacob Barber (Dardenne Prairie, Mo.) recorded his first goal of the season with a little over eight minutes remaining in regulation when he slammed in a one-timer off a Chris Diver (Wilmington, Del.) pass seven seconds into a power play. Max McHugh (Edgewood, Wash.) also assisted. 

The Jr. Blues came right back. Brett Sibba racked up a one-timer of his own from James McGing to cut the Wild lead back to one goal again. The Blues would get no closer, however. Hartley tacked on his second goal of the game, this one during a power play, with less than two minutes left in the contest. Davis and Noah Nelson (Oconomowoc, Wis.) assisted. 

Hartley led the Wild with two goals and an assist. Davis recorded a playmaker with three assists, and Roubos notched two assists. 

Robert Nichols (Dallas, Texas) made 21 saves on 25 shots to earn his first victory of the season. Springfield's Ryan Kellenberger stopped 24 of the 30 shots he faced in a losing effort.

The Wild (1-0) will face the Amarillo Bulls (1-0) at 5:45 p.m. Thursday.