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The Wenatchee Wild Development Team programs are headed to the holiday stretch on a high note after a pair of memorable weekends.

The 18U Wolves made a brief road trip to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, tying the Coeur d'Alene Hockey Academy on Friday, 3-3. CDA's 16U group made the trip to Wenatchee, with the 16U Wilderness stepping off the ice a 5-2 winner. For the 18U team, the trip to Idaho followed a one-of-a-kind experience the previous weekend, when the Wolves visited the Kraken Community Iceplex in Seattle and faced off against the U.S. Women's National Team in a controlled scrimmage.

"We were honored to take part, and I know the guys were jacked up to go there," said Hockey Director and co-head coach Troy Mick. "They had a lot of fans there - the Seattle Kraken healthy scratch players like Shane Wright were there, so he was on the ice doing skills, and the guys were able to watch. All of a sudden you get the vibe, 'Hey, we're playing Team USA,' the ladies that have represented the country for many years and you're lining up against them on a faceoff. We used their goalies because they have a lot of decisions to make, and they realized real quick that the women are playing hard and getting at it hard. The win and loss means nothing - it was all about the experience and meeting the Team USA hockey coaches, and just the vibe. It was a surreal opportunity. You don't get that every day."

The 14U team's most recent games were also on home ice on Veterans Day weekend, hosting the BCHL Exposure Showcase against two American teams and the Delta Hockey Academy from British Columbia. The 14U Wolverines moved to 10-6-2 on the season, going undefeated on the weekend with four wins and a tie. Wins over the Delta Academy and Northwest Stars highlighted the Friday action, with the California Bears opening the Saturday schedule with a 2-2 tie against the 14U team. In that game, the Bears took the lead twice, but neither team could find the deciding goal before time ran out. One-goal wins over the Delta Academy and the California Bears followed later on Saturday, and on Sunday.

For the 14U squads, though, the weekend was about more than just the chance to play the sport. Teams received a tour of the Town Toyota Center and the Wenatchee Wild facilities, and heard about the opportunities available in junior hockey from Wild general manager Bliss Littler and head coach Chris Clark.

"It's not every day these guys get to hear from two guys who have been in the business a long time really promoting the Wild, and we're surrounded by a lot of the Western Hockey League teams, so the kids get to hear a lot of that," said Mick. It gives them a different idea that both avenues are very good, but here's our story and here's what the BCHL is all about. I did a couple of tours with a couple of teams, and made them sit down in the dressing room and said, 'Hey, one day this could be you.' 

The 12U team spent its Veterans Day weekend on home ice in a pair of tightly-contested matchups against the Sno-King club from Seattle, dropping a 4-3 decision on Saturday before rebounding for a 3-3 tie later in the day. In the early contest, Sno-King jumped out to an early lead, but the Wenatchee group battled back to a final one-goal margin. In the nightcap, it was Wenatchee that got out to the lead before Sno-King capitalized on two late chances to force the tie. The Wild 12U team moved into the holidays with a 5-7-3 record and a handful of games remaining on the schedule before the Christmas break.

"We hosted two home games that did not show the growth of our team to this point," said 12U coaches Tysen and Aaron Azevedo. "This cannot take away from how Sno-King came for redemption on the weekend, but was a great learning experience on how to play a complete game."

The 16U group is off from competition for the Thanksgiving weekend, as are the 14U and 12U teams. The 18U team, however, will be on the road to Canada during the Thanksgiving weekend, and several players will have quite the tight turnaround after joining the Wenatchee Wild for their British Columbia Hockey League road trip to Trail on Wednesday.

"We're going up for a [Canadian Sport School Hockey League] showcase in Shawnigan Lake, and we're leaving Thursday morning at 5:30 a.m.," said Mick. "It's going to be survival of the fittest, but this is why we play the game. We're getting opportunities and you do whatever it takes to be part of it."