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Bucks split weekend games against Wild

Tyson Dyck’s hat trick leads Cranbrook to first ever road win against Wenatchee
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Cranbrook’s Rhys Bentham and goalie Nathan Airey watch the puck fly over the net in Saturday night BCHL action in Wenatchee, Washington. (Dale Fletcher photo()

On the road in Washington, Tyson Dyck’s natural hat trick in the third period in Saturday night’s game in Wenatchee led Cranbrook to a 4-2 victory over the Wild, and their first road win against Wenatchee in Buck’s history.

Brendan Rodgers opened the scoring, catching a rebound off Tyler Shea, in net for the Wild.

Nathan Airey was solid in goal for Cranbrook, facing 17 shots in the second period, but Ean Somoza and Cade Littler both got past him, giving Wenatchee a 2-1 lead going into the third.

Tyson Dyck’s long dump-in with a funny bounce somehow got past Shea just 14 seconds into the third period. Dyck knocked another in while in front of the Wild net, at the midway mark of the period, and he claimed the hat trick three minutes later. Six different Bucks got assists on the three goals — Jarrod Smith and Carsyn Good, Johnny Johnson and Liam Hansson, and Rhys Bentham and Declan Ride.

A natural hat trick — a rare event — is a team’s three straight goals by the same scorer.

In Friday night’s game, the Wild outshot Cranbrook 38-31, the Bucks went 0/3 on the power play and 2/2 on the penalty kill.

Friday night’s win was the fifth straight for Nathan Airey.

* * *

The Wild got their revenge on Sunday evening, with a wild second period that saw them net three unanswered goals in the second period, including a short-handed maker from Cade Littler. Anthony Cafarelli and Cade Stibbe also scored for Wenatchee in the second period.

There was no scoring in the first or third periods.

Throughout the game, the Wild’s tight defence stymied the Bucks, who Wenatchee 35 to 23, and outplayed their opponents for the whole third period. But Wild goaltender Andy Vlaha saw every one coming his way. Evan Gartner made 20 saves on 23 shots for Cranbrook.

The Bucks’ Liam Hansson and the Wild’s Anthony Cafarelli were tossed from the game in the second, after a fight.

Neither team scored on their power play chances. In fact, the Bucks were scoreless on the power play over two games.

After the weekend’s road trip, the Cranbrook Bucks are at 25-19-2-2, in sixth place in the Interior Conference of the BCHL, one point behind the Vernon Vipers. Cranbrook has clinched its playoff spot. Tyson Dyck Is fifth in league scoring.

The Bucks are back at Western Financial Place in Cranbrook on Thursday, to begin a double-header against the Merritt Centennials.



Barry Coulter

About the Author: Barry Coulter

Barry Coulter had been Editor of the Cranbrook Townsman since 1998, and has been part of all those dynamic changes the newspaper industry has gone through over the past 20 years.
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