Anderson Carter
Photo Courtesy: Divanelly Blanco

WENATCHEE, Wash. - The Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy will get one more week on the ice before its four teams head to Chicago for the CCM World Invite, and most of that action will belong to one team.

The Wild Hockey Academy's 16-and-Under team will play three games against Canadian Sport School Hockey League competition, and the 18-and-Under team plays one, while the 14U and 15O teams get set for a practice weekend before the trip to the Midwest.

Anderson Carter gave the 18U team its only goal Friday in a 6-1 loss to Okanagan Hockey Academy, in a game that saw Tyler O'Keefee make 66 saves, but they battled back from an early 5-0 deficit to make it a game Sunday against Delta Hockey Academy. Down by five again halfway through the contest, Kaiden Turta's goal trimmed the deficit again going to the third, and with goals from Carter and Tyce Thorson, Wenatchee pushed the score back to 6-4 before two more Delta goals put the game out of reach.

"It's always tough to come back like that," said Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy director Troy Mick. "We didn't have the effort that we needed to, and then we did in the second and third period. We played disciplined - I think we only had one penalty the whole game. We've had certain guys step up, and it looks like we're going to be healthy, and only down one guy this weekend instead of the four to six that we've been the last few weeks."

The Delta U17 team took a 10-2 win against the Wenatchee 16U team on Sunday, thanks in part to a four-goal burst in the final five minutes of the second period that broke open what had been a 2-1 game. While the 15O team went back to work on the practice ice, the 14U team also played two games this past weekend, and was dealt a pair of losses by STAR Hockey Academy in Seattle.

This weekend will be much more active for the Wild 16U team, with a Friday evening matchup against Pacific Coast Hockey Academy at Town Toyota Center. RINK Hockey Academy makes a visit from Kelowna on Saturday and Sunday to round out the weekend, while the 18U team squares off against Pacific Coast Academy on Friday immediately after the 16U matchup.

"I'm proud of the guys. They're working hard, and now we're getting ready to get into game action for one more (week) before Chicago," said Mick. "It's just a matter of confidence. They're getting better, they're getting stronger as we go, and that's the name of the game."

Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 5 p.m. on the arena rink at Town Toyota Center