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Kings end first-half schedule with 3-1 loss in Wenatchee

Wenatchee, WA – The Wenatchee Wild (19-16-4) pulled away with a 3-1 win over the Powell River Kings (18-18-2) on Saturday, December 21st in front of 1,903 fans at the Town Toyota Center.

The Wild held a 3-0 lead until the dying minutes of the third period, as Kings forward Nic Porchetta broke the shutout, scoring his eighth of the season, squeaking a rebound through the legs of Wenatchee goaltender Noah Altman. The comeback attempt was too late, as the Kings lose their second straight contest.

Blake Emerson opened the scoring six minutes into the game, snapping a shot from the top of the left circle, with the assist coming from his twin brother Quinn Emerson. Nick Cafarelli stripped the puck away from Kings defenceman Dylan Finlay near the Powell River net, and popped his shot over Thomas Warlde for a 2-0 Wild lead after one.

“I think we were soft and were not ready to play,” said Kings assistant coach Brock Sawyer. “Four games in five nights isn’t enjoyable so it’s a grind. We were careless with the puck, we were losing one on one battles, we were turning too many pucks over and we weren’t physical enough.  It’s one of things where if you come out and you’re flat, it’s not going to end well.”

Minutes before the Wild made it 3-0, things got chippy in the second. PJ Garrett, Jack Brackett and Jacob Slipec all fought shortening the Kings bench to eight forwards and six defencemen after they dressed 10 and seven.

“Guys got emotional, played hard and were tired of being pushed around,” stated Sawyer. “Drew Doughy said it best on After Hours on CBC, and that’s that you need fighting in the game. It’s a part of the game, otherwise guys run around and take liberty. Win or lose, you stand up for you teammates, and guys feed off the energy, so I thought that was good.”

The Kings finish their four game road trip 1-3, and have now lost four of their last five games heading into the break. The Kings were outshot 30-16, and went 0-4 on the power play and 3-3 on the penalty kill.

Thomas Warlde made 27 saves on 30 shots in his third straight loss between the pipes. Noah Altman on the other side made 15 saves on 16 shots for his seventh win of the season.

Sawyer added that the next six days off are very important for everyone to enjoy their time with their family, and get ready for the second half.

“You take advantage of it, you want to get as much rest as possible and enjoy the time away from hockey. It’s been a grind for everyone, and guys are excited to get home and hit the reset button. It’s an important time for them to just relax and enjoy the time with their friends and family.”

The Powell River Kings head on a week long Christmas break before coming back home for practice on December 29th. The Kings begin their second half schedule with a double-header against the Nanaimo Clippers on December 30th/31st.