Lady luck seemed to misplace her Cranbrook Bucks jersey on Saturday night, while the Wenatchee Wild put in a strong effort to earn a 3-2 win over the Bucks, securing a split for this weekend’s double header.
The Cranbrook Bucks ran into a bit of penalty trouble in the first period, and Wenatchee was able to capitalize for an early power play goal. Wild forward Ean Somoza was able to finish a nice passing play with a one-timer to beat Bucks goalie Evan Gartner at 8:57. The Bucks managed to erase the one-goal deficit a few minutes later, via Liam Hansson’s 8th goal of the season. The Bucks coughed up three power plays in the first period, but they managed to hold Wenatchee off the board for the rest of the opening frame. After twenty minutes, the game was tied 1-1.
The pace of play slowed down considerably through the second period. The Bucks were able to make good on a power play chance midway through the middle frame, Kellan Hjartarson tallied his 18th goal of the season at 8:27 to put Cranbrook into a 2-1 lead. Cranbrook’s lead remained intact after forty minutes.
The Wild managed to claw back into a tie with the Bucks before the five-minute mark of the third period. Ean Somoza fired a blast from the Cranbrook slot to beat Gartner for his second goal of the night to make the game a 2-2 tie. Physicality began to pick up throughout the final frame, and both teams started to pile up penalties. A late power play for Wenatchee would prove to be the difference in Saturday night’s game. Wild captain Quinn Emerson was able to display a skill move deep in Buck territory, beating Gartner on his backhand to put the Wild up 3-2. The Bucks had some late chances to vault the game back into a tie, but they were denied – and had to settle for a 3-2 loss to Wenatchee.
With the loss, Cranbrook’s record falls to 23-18-2-2. The Bucks tallied on 1 of 4 power play chances, their penalty kill finished 4/6. The Wild outshot Cranbrook 3-2.
The Bucks return to action on Thursday to host the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
Buck Tracks:
- Noah Quinn’s point streak ends at 10 games (17 points).
- 2 points for Liam Hansson (4 multi point nights in last 5 games).
- Three-game goal scoring streak for Kellan Hjartarson (1 goal vs Wild Saturday night)
Photo Credit: Tim Matwey
