COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW AT CLEVELAND 12.14.16
Dec 14, 2016 Iowa Wild (11-13-1-1, 24 points) at Cleveland Monsters (11-11-1-1, 24 Points)
Iowa and Cleveland meet for the second time this season on Wednesday, the first meeting of the year at the Quicken Loans Arena. Iowa remains in Cleveland for a second game on Friday. The Wild will return to Cleveland for two more on Feb. 3 and 4, with the Monsters next visit to Iowa is scheduled for Feb. 8. The two teams collided in Des Moines on Oct. 25, a 7-3 Monsters win. In all, Iowa plays Cleveland 12 times this season.
Over the course of history, the Wild and the Monsters have met a total of 17 times. Iowa leads the all-time series with a 9-7-0-1 record, including a 5-3-0-0 mark in Ohio. Cleveland is 8-5-2-2 all-time, including a 3-2-1-2 mark at Quicken Loans Arena.
Iowa is 5-4-1-0 on the road this season and 5-4-1-0 over the last ten outings. The Wild has outscored the home teams 28-24 this season. Iowa is coming off a 4-0 win at home on Saturday. Cleveland is 6-5-1-0 at home and 6-3-0-1 over the last ten games. The Monsters have won three straight after posting a 2-1 SOW in Manitoba on Dec. 10. Cleveland has been outscored by the road teams 29-25 at Quicken Loans Arena.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Cleveland 12/14 6:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
at Cleveland 12/16 6:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
vs. Manitoba 12/18 3:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
vs. Manitoba 12/19 7:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
vs. Rockford 12/26 7:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
Transactions:
12.5.16: Add – D Gustav Olofsson and F Zack Mitchell – assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
12.13.16: Delete – F Teemu Pulkkinen– recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the San Antonio Rampage 4-0 in front of 6,187 fans on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena. Wild goalie Alex Stalock stopped 23 shots for the shutout win. Forwards Jeff Hoggan, Jordan Schroeder, Sam Anas and Alex Tuch each scored for Iowa in the win. Rampage goalie Spencer Martin stopped 31 of 35 shots in the loss. The victory ended San Antonio’s ten-game winning streak over Iowa.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 26 games of the regular season, forward Jordan Schroeder leads the team in scoring with 12 assists and 17 points in 21 games played. Schroeder’s 12 assists are first on the team. Recently recalled to Minnesota, veteran right wing Teemu Pulkkinen placed second in points and first in goals at the time of his departure. He has a team-high eight goals and 15 points in 18 games played. Rookie Alex Tuch and veteran center Pat Cannone are tied for third in scoring with 14 points each. Cannone has four goals and is second in assists with 10 in 26 games played. Tuch is second on the team with six goals and has 14 points in 26 outings. Defenseman Gustav Olofsson is next in scoring with 12 points, he leads all defensemen in points with three goals and nine assists in 24 games. Forward Colton Beck (3g-7a) and defenseman Mike Reilly (2g,8a) also rank among the team’s scoring leaders.
Veteran Alex Stalock and Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 7-7-1 with a 2.81 GAA and a .907 SV%. Michalek is 4-6-1 with a 3.09 GAA and a .914 SV%.
Iowa’s power play sits 21st in the league after going 17-for102 (16.7%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 17th after stopping 87 of 107 (81.3%).
Notables –
● Since Nov. 18, Iowa has killed off 40 of the last 45 penalties – 88.9%.
● After posting two points in his first ten games, Iowa’s Pat Cannone has 11 points (2g-9a) in his last 14 outings.
Cleveland Monsters
Right wing Daniel Zaar leads the Monsters in scoring 17 points in 24 games played. He is third in goals with six and second on the squad with 11 assists. Center Alex Broadhurst is tied for second on the club with 15 points in 23 games, he has five goals and 10 assists. T.J. Tynan leads the Monsters with 12 assists and is tied for second in overall points with 15 in 24 games played. Left wing Markus Hannikainen is four overall in points with 11 in 17 games played Hannikainen scored a hat trick at Iowa on Oct. 25. He is the team’s active leader with eight goals. Left wing Sonny Milano (4g,6a) and right wing Aaron Pulushaj (3g,7a) are also among the team’s leading scorers.
Anton Forsberg has seen the majority of time between the pipes for the Monsters. Forsberg is 7-6-1 in 16 appearances, while posting a 2.44 GAA and a .925 SV%. Joonas Korpisalo has played in eight games, going 4-3-1 with a 3.28 GAA and a .883 SV%. Brad Thiessen is 0-2-0 with a 3.10 GAA and a .900 SV %.
Cleveland’s power play is 23rd, going 14-for-91 (15.4%). The Monsters are 12th on the penalty kill, stopping 95 of 114 (83.3%).