IOWA SHUTS OUT MILWAUKEE 3-0
Apr 13, 2018Wild sets franchise record for home wins with the victory
DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa Wild (32-27-10-6; 80 points) shut out Milwaukee Admirals (38-31-4-2; 82 points) by a score of 3-0 in front of 8,505 fans at Wells Fargo Arena for Fan Appreciation Night. With the win, the Wild set a franchise record for home victories in a single season with 18.
Opening up the scoring for the Wild was forward Pat Cannone, who recorded his 17th goal of the season to give the home team the 1-0 lead. Defenseman Alex Grant unleashed a shot from the right side of the blue line and Admirals goaltender Troy Grosenick (23 saves) made the stop with his blocker. The rebound went right to Cannone on the left side of the net, who buried his shot at 10:50 in the opening stanza.
Cannone’s tally was the only score of the first and Iowa headed into the second period with a 1-0 lead, while Milwaukee held an 11-8 shot advantage.
Forward Cal O’Reilly scored a baseball-style goal at 5:11 in the middle frame. Forward Colton Beck took a shot from below the left faceoff dot and Grosenick’s save popped the puck into the air. As soon as it dropped below the crossbar, O’Reilly knocked it out of midair and into the back of the net for his 15th goal of the season. In addition to Beck’s 18th assist of the season, Grant recorded his second helper of the night and 23rd of 2017-18.
Following 40 minutes of play, Iowa held a 2-0 lead and an 18-17 shot advantage.
The score stayed 2-0 through most of the final period and as the clock wound down, Milwaukee pulled Grosenick for an extra skater. Wild forward Kyle Rau potted his 23rd goal of the season with an empty-netter and forward Justin Kloos notched his 30th assist of the season on his goal.
When the final horn sounded, Wild goaltender CJ Motte (26 saves) earned his second shutout of the season, tying him with Niklas Svedberg for the team lead. The game’s 8,505 fans also helped the Wild break its season attendance record for the second time in as many seasons. The two teams finished the game tied in shots with 26 apiece.
Iowa and Milwaukee complete the home-and-home series with the series finale Saturday in Milwaukee. Puck drop at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is at 6:00 p.m.
The Iowa Wild 2017-18 season is presented by Mercy 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.
###