FRESNO, Calif. – The Wenatchee Wild secured one standing point Friday at the Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif., but suffered a 2-1 overtime loss to the Fresno Monsters.
The Monsters took a 1-0 lead 5:20 into the contest on defenseman Jesse Durfee’s slap shot from the near point. Brendan Bradley earned the primary assist, setting up Durfee from the near corner. Jeffrey McMinimy also assisted.
Wenatchee killed off a pair of penalties against a dangerous Fresno power play unit over the remainder of the first period. The Wild generated a 2-on-1 scoring chance at the end of the second penalty-kill situation, but could not capitalize on the opportunity.
The Wild’s power-play chances came in the second period. Shawn Pauly forced a 1-1 tie when he banged in a rebound from the near post off of Ben Carey's shot from the far side of the ice during a 2-man advantage near the midpoint of the frame. Chris Kerr picked up the second assist.
Wild netminder Robert Nichols was spectacular in the third period. He stopped McMinimy, the Monsters’ leading scorer on a breakaway early in the frame. A penalty shot was called on the play, and Nichols also stopped that attempt.
Nichols, who made 25 saves on 27 total shots, faced a 2-on-1 later in the third stanza. He stopped McMinimy’s shot from the left wing then denied a rebound goal to Mikhail Bushinski with the lightning-fast snap of his left paw.
The Monsters went on to win 3:19 into the overtime session when Chris Blessing scored from the slot on a feed from Bradley. Brett Blomgren also assisted.
The Wild (9-7-3) and Monsters (9-7-6) will conclude their 2-game weekend series Saturday. Faceoff is set for 7:35 p.m. Pre-game show on KPQ and kpq.com begins at 7-15p.m.
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