GAME PREVIEW - ROCKFORD ICEHOGS AT IOWA WILD 11.6.14
Nov 6, 2014Rockford IceHogs (8-1-0-1, 17 Points) at Iowa Wild (2-7-0-0, 4 points)
The Iowa Wild begins a three-game home stand with visits from Rockford and Chicago. After Rockford on Thursday, Chicago will come for a pair of games over the weekend. The two teams will meet eight times this season after playing in 10 games last year. Over the summer, Iowa was shifted to the West Division and is no longer a Midwest Division rival of the IceHogs. Iowa finished with a record of 4-6-0-0 against Rockford in 2013-14, including a 2-3-0-0 record at Wells Fargo Arena. Rockford went 6-3-0-1 overall, including a 3-2-0-0 record at Iowa. Dating back to last season, the IceHogs have won five straight over the Wild, outscoring them 24-11.
Iowa is 1-3-0-0 at home this season, having been outscored 14-8 by the visitors. The Wild is coming off a 4-2 defeat at Oklahoma City on Sunday. In its last home game, the Wild bested the Charlotte Checkers 4-1. Rockford has won six straight games and is 5-1-0-1 away from home. The IceHogs have outscored their opponents 21-12 on the road.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Rockford 11/6 10:30 AM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Chicago 11/8 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Chicago 11/9 3:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Milwaukee 11/12 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Oklahoma City 11/14 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio – MC22
Transactions:
11.1.14 Add – D Justin Falk – (assigned by Minnesota – NHL)
11.1.14 Delete – D Jon Blum (recalled by Minnesota – NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Oklahoma City Barons 4-2 in front of 2,632 fans at the Cox Convention Center on Sunday. The Barons erased a 1-1 tie with three unanswered goals by the end of the second period, completing a weekend sweep of the Wild. Oklahoma City had four different goal scorers, improving to 3-2-0-0 at home this season. Barons’ goalie Richard Bachman stopped 24 of 26 Iowa shots for the win. Iowa goalie Johan Gustafsson made 30 saves in defeat. Wild forwards Zack Phillips and Michael Keranen each scored in the loss.
Iowa Wild
Through the nine games of the season, forward Jordan Schroeder leads the team in scoring with three goals and seven assists for ten points. Schroeder is ranked among the top point producers in the AHL and he also leads Iowa with six power-play assists, as well as 27 shots on goal. Center Tyler Graovac is second on the team in scoring with seven points off one goal and six assists. Counting the last ten games of the 2013-14 season, the second-year pro has 17 points in his last 19 AHL games. Forward Michael Keranen is third with three goals and three assists totaling six points. He leads all Wild rookies in points and shots. Prior to his NHL call-up, defenseman Jon Blum was fourth with a goal and four assists in seven games. Fellow blueliner Danny Syvret has a goal and two assists for three points in six games. Ryan Walters has three points in his last two games.
Goalies John Curry and Johan Gustafsson man the Iowa Wild crease. Curry is 0-2-0 with a 3.47 GAA and a .882 SV% with Iowa. Johan Gustafsson is 2-5-0 with a 3.49 GAA and a .891 SV %.
Iowa’s power play is ranked 15th at 17.4%, while the penalty kill sits 26th at 78.3%.
Notables –
· Iowa forward Marc Hagel has three goals in his last three games.
Rockford IceHogs
In the first 11 games of this season, forwards Mark McNeill and Peter Regin lead the Rockford IceHogs in points and are tied four eighth in the AHL with 10. McNeill played in all 76 regular season games last year as a rookie for the IceHogs, tallying 18 goals and 19 assists for 37 points. McNeill leads the team with five goals and has accumulated five assists. Regin returns to the AHL after spending the past six seasons in the NHL, where he scored four goals and seven assists in 61 games with the Blackhawks and Islanders last year. The six-year pro trails McNeill in goals, but is tied for the team lead in assist with six. Forward Garret Ross has found the back of the net three times this season and is one assist shy of the team lead with five, totaling eight points. Also in his second year as a starter, Ross scored 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points in 74 games played. Rockford’s team Captain Joakim Nordstrom split time between the IceHogs and Blackhawks in the 2013-14 campaign, netting 18 goals and 18 assists between the two. This season, he has scored three goals and three assists for six points in 11 games played.
Playing in eight games this season for Rockford, goalie Michael Leighton (4-2-1) is posting a 2.49 GAA and a .912 SV%. Goalie Scott Darling (4-0-0) is posting a 1.11 GAA and .960 SV% in four games played for the IceHogs this year.
Rockford’s power play is ranked 18th at 16.3%, while the penalty kill sits 19th at 82.1%.