IOWA FALLS TO MILWAUKEE 6-5 IN THE SHOOTOUT
Nov 19, 2019-Six Wild players record multi-point games Tuesday-
In a contest that featured five different lead changes, Iowa Wild (9-4-2-2; 22 pts.) fell to the Milwaukee Admirals (12-3-1-2; 27 pts.) by a score of 6-5 in the shootout Tuesday night.
Milwaukee took a 1-0 lead at 11:41 in the first period as the club’s potent power-play continued to stay hot. Defenseman Alexandre Carrier took a shot from the point that was blocked in the slot but bounced right to forward Colin Blackwell at the left faceoff dot. He skated down low before feeding forward Rem Pitlick at the far post, who lifted a shot over the glove of goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (28 saves) for his fourth of the campaign.
At the end of the first period, Milwaukee led 1-0 while leading in shots 12-6.
Iowa tied the game at 1-1 as it converted on a man advantage as well. Forward Kyle Rau sent a no-look pass across the ice to forward Sam Anas inside the right circle. Anas then snuck a shot through the five-hole of goaltender Troy Grosenick (30 saves) for his fourth of the season. Defenseman Brennan Menell earned his 11th assist of the year on the tally at 1:36 in the second period.
The Admirals once again scored on the power play, giving the team its 13th goal on the man advantage in its last six games. Pitlick notched his second of the game as he received a pass from forward Tommy Novak while crashing the net. His shot trickled through Kahkonen for his fifth of the season, giving the Admirals a 2-1 lead at 4:20 in the second. Forward Cole Schneider was credited with the secondary assist.
Special teams continued to prove pivotal in the contest as defenseman Matt Bartkowski registered his first of the season with a shorthanded tally. Rau won a faceoff directly back to Bartkowski, who wristed a shot past the blocker of Grosenick at 7:53 in the middle frame, knotting the contest at 2-2.
At 11:59 in the second stanza, Milwaukee took a 3-2 lead as forward Yakov Trenin netted an unassisted tally. Trenin forced a turnover in the neutral zone and skated down on a 2-on-1. Electing to shoot, he beat Kahkonen short side for his eighth of the season.
Heading into the third period, Milwaukee led 3-2 and owned the shot advantage 22-18.
For the third time in the contest, Iowa tied the game as defenseman Brennan Menell logged his second tally of the year at 8:13 in the third period. Menell blasted a shot from the point that bounced off a Milwaukee defender and past Grosenick for the score. Anas and forward Nico Sturm were given the assists on the play.
Less than two minutes later, the Wild took its first lead of the game. Behind the net, Dumont sent a pass to forward Cody McLeod at the left post, who immediately shuttled the puck to the slot. Forward JT Brown one-timed McLeod’s feed past Grosenick for his third goal of the season, putting Iowa ahead 4-3.
Iowa added another goal at 12:07 in the third period, extending the team’s lead to 5-3. Brown took a shot from the left circle that was saved by Grosenick, but Dumont picked up the rebound and buried it for his sixth of the campaign. Bartkowski earned the secondary assist to go with his goal earlier in the game.
Late in the third period, the Admirals pulled Grosenick for an extra attacker and proceed to score two goals in 45 seconds to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 5-5 tie. Forward Daniel Carr batted home a loose puck in front of Kahkonen at 18:14 in the final frame and then a shot from Carrier deflected off the stick of an Iowa defender and into the net at 18:59 for the equalizer.
After 60 minutes of play, the two teams headed to overtime tied 5-5, with shots favoring Iowa 34-33.
In the extra frame, neither team could net the game-winner, forcing the contest into a shootout. In the shootout, Carr scored the lone tally, coming on Milwaukee’s final attempt. His goal gave the Admirals a 6-5 victory and the team’s eighth consecutive win.
Iowa finished the game leading in shots 35-34, the sixth straight game in which the Wild outshot its opponent. The team went 1-for-5 on the power play and 1-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Six Wild players finished the game with multi-point outings; Anas, Brown, Menell, Dumont, Rau and Bartkowski. Dumont also played in his 500th AHL game Tuesday night.
The Wild continues the team’s homestand with the organization’s first-ever Hockey Fights Cancer Night on Saturday against the Bakersfield Condors. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
The Iowa Wild 2019-20 regular season is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center and runs from October through April. For more information, please contact the Wild office by calling 515-564-8700 or by visiting www.iowawild.com.