Wild craft 5-4 overtime win Tuesday at Red Deer

RED DEER, Alberta – With another game on the docket Wednesday morning, the Wenatchee Wild might be able to carry some adrenaline into their next outing after Tuesday’s Western Hockey League game against the Red Deer Rebels.

Mason Kraft scored two goals, including the game-winner 1:46 into overtime, and the Wild earned a 5-4 victory against Red Deer to remain in the hunt for a Western Conference playoff berth. Kraft bookended Wenatchee’s scoring, in a game that featured four ties and three lead changes, with only one Wild lead prior to the overtime winner.

Red Deer struck early, as Kohen Lodge banged in a second-chance goal just 2:30 into the game off a toss from Grayden Peterson. The Rebels took the lead to the dressing room, but the Wild took advantage of their only power play of the night, scoring 22 seconds into the man-advantage on Kraft’s shot from the left point. The shot pinballed high into the air off a Red Deer player and past Matthew Kondro, tying the game at 9:25 of the second.

Most of the offense was reserved for the third period – Cameron Kuzma pounced on a rebound from a Patrick Sopiarz shot to put Red Deer in front 93 seconds out of the break, but Boston Tait’s throw from the left point at 5:41 skipped off of Zane Torre’s stick and past Kondro to tie the game again. Wenatchee grabbed the lead at 7:26 when Luka Shcherbyna’s shot from the top of the zone bounded out front for Caelan Joudrey to twirl home.

The lead lasted a little more than four minutes before Poul Anderson deked the puck through Cal Conway, sliding it under his pads to tie the game at 3-3. Red Deer nearly delivered the fatal blow with 4:24 left when Lodge tipped in a sharp-angle shot from Beckett Hamilton, but 42 seconds later, Grady Wedman found Aiden Grossklaus out front for a wrist shot to tie the game one more time.

Wenatchee gained final control of the game when Kraft sauntered the puck down the left wing before zipping a shot past Kondro, hitting the net inside the back post to deliver the Wild their sixth overtime win of the season.

The Wild were perfect on special teams, killing both Red Deer power plays in addition to Kraft’s marker on the man-advantage. Josh Toll earned an assist to extend his point streak to six games, while Levi Benson picked up one of his own, extending his run to five straight games with a point. Conway made 24 saves, earning his eighth win of the season and delivering Wenatchee its eighth road win.

Lodge finished with two goals for the Rebels, while Hamilton notched two assists. Kondro finished with 34 saves in the overtime loss, as the Wild and Rebels finished the night with identical 24-34-3-2 records on the season.