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PENTICTON, British Columbia - The Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy's under-18 and under-17 teams will get plenty of chances to show their skills at Canadian Sport School Hockey League showcases during the 2023-24 season. When the CSSHL's recent U15 showcase in Penticton needed a late replacement, the Wild had a team ready to go - the Wenatchee 14U team made quite the impression, winning all four games on the weekend.

Wenatchee surged to a 17-1 win over the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy to start the weekend, with Thomas Sachs lighting the lamp first at 4:25 of the opening period. Before the dust settled, all but one Wild 14U skater had at least a point, with Bryden Wagner's seven points leading the charge. Wagner had two goals in the first three minutes the following day, and Akira Ota had two goals and two assists, as Wenatchee earned a 6-0 shutout of RINK Academy - Sam Trnecka anchored the Wild in net with 34 saves. A scoreless first period gave way to a 4-for-5 mark on the power play on Saturday in a 6-3 win over STAR Academy, and another four-point day from Bryden Wagner highlighted a 5-2 win over RINK Academy to cap the weekend.

"I think they made a statement," said Wild Hockey Academy director Troy Mick. "The U15 prep is a whole other level, but obviously to win four games no matter where you play, it's a good weekend. To go up there in their first CSSHL showcase and have that kind of success, things look good."

The Wild U18 team split a weekend double-dip against the Coeur d'Alene Hockey Academy, falling behind 3-0 before battling back to a 3-2 final at the Weinstein Beverage Rink. Cameron Kimmerly and Joe Marranzino picked up goals for Wenatchee, with Kimmerly's coming in the final 1:03 of the second period. The following day, it was the Wild who held on to an early lead in a 3-1 win over CDA - Owen and Gabe Eckdahl both had goals along with Parker Platt, and Carson Fowler earned the win in net with 27 saves. 

The Wenatchee U17 group earned a 4-1 win over the in-state rival Seattle Jr. Kraken, avenging a 2-2 tie earlier in the season and earning home-ice advantage for a best-of-three series to determine Washington's bid to the USA Hockey Pacific District tournament. Those games will be played in January.

"That was probably one of our better games all season long," said Mick. "Guys played hard, executed our systems and even got three power play goals, so it was good to do it on the road after we let a 2-2 tie get away at the beginning of the year. As expected, in the first game of the year, you don't really know what you've got, so I was really happy with the way they focused on the game - it was a playoff mentality. They knew there was something on the line, and we executed it, so it was a very happy bus ride home."

This weekend, it's the 14U team who welcomes the Seattle Jr. Kraken for a pair of Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association games at the Weinstein Beverage Rink, with puck drops on Saturday at 10:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. The U17 and U18 Academy teams will travel to the Shawnigan Lake area in British Columbia - the U18 team will square off with three teams in the CSSHL's Shawnigan Lake Showcase, beginning with a game against Delta Hockey Academy on Friday evening. The North Shore Warriors are on the schedule for Saturday afternoon, followed by St. George's School on Saturday, all at the Charlie Purdey Arena in Shawnigan Lake. The U17s will face the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy on Saturday evening before taking on the Shawnigan Lake School on Sunday.