BALANCED EFFORT LEADS WILD TO LOPSIDED 5-1 WIN
Jan 30, 2016Goaltender Steven Michalek Victorious in AHL Debut
DES MOINES, IA – The Iowa Wild (13-27-3-3, 32 points) defeated the Charlotte Checkers (25-14-2-2, 54 points) 5-1 in front of 6,158 fans at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday Afternoon. Four different Wild skaters enjoyed multi-point games as Iowa scored five goals in consecutive nights. Forward Zack Mitchell scored twice and added an assist to lead Iowa to a victory. Rookie goalie Steve Michalek (1-0-0) made 33 saves on 34 shots, winning his AHL debut. Forwards Marc Hagel and Michael Keranen, as well as defenseman Maxime Fortunus, each scored a goal in the Wild win. Charlotte goalie Drew MacIntyre (10-10-1) stopped 22 of 25 shots in the defeat. Checkers forward Brock McGinn scored the lone goal in the Charlotte loss. Iowa returns home on Friday, Feb. 5 for a game against the Chicago Wolves at 7 p.m. after the All-Star break.
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Iowa forward Zack Mitchell opened the scoring just 3:41 of the first period, helping the Wild grab a 1-0 lead. Forwards Kurtis Gabriel and Tyler Graovac each tallied an assist on the goal. Graovac carried the puck into the offensive zone down the right wing. He left a drop pass for Mitchell at the top of the circle. Mitchell wristed a low shot under the legs of goalie Drew MacIntyre, scoring his 15th goal of the season. The Iowa lead didn’t last long. Charlotte forward Brock McGinn tied the game 1-1 at 3:58 of the period. Left wing Phil Giuseppe and defenseman Rasmuss Rissanen each picked up an assist on the goal. Rissanen fired a shot from the blueline through traffic in front of the net. McGinn tipped the shot, elevating the puck over Michalek’s shoulder for his 12th goal of the season. Wild forward Marc Hagel scored at 10:15 of the period, helping Iowa regain a 2-1 lead. Forward Michael Keranen and defenseman Gustav Olofsson each tallied an assist on the power-play goal. Keranen attempted a pair of shots from in close, but was turned away by MacIntyre. Hagel picked up the rebound from behind the net and stuffed in a wrap-around goal for his second goal of the season. Mitchell tallied his second goal of the day at 17:38 of the period, giving Iowa a 3-1 lead. Defenseman Christian Folin and forward Jordan Schroeder each tallied an assist on the power-play goal. Schroeder fed a pass to Folin at the blueline and he one-timed a shot off MacIntyre’s leg. Mitchell scooped up the rebound, snapping the puck into the net for his 16th goal of the season. The goal chased MacIntyre from the game, leaving Daniel Altshuller to replace him in net.
Wild defenseman Maxime Fortunus scored at 3:32 of the second period, building Iowa’s lead to 4-1. Mitchell and Olofsson each picked up an assist on the goal. Mitchell wristed a shot from the left circle with Fortunus crashing the net from the right side. Fortunus one-timed the rebound past Altshuller for his third goal of the season. Michael Keranen added an Iowa goal at 8:29 of the period, giving the Wild a 5-1 lead. Hagel and forward Rob Bordson each tallied an assist on the goal. Hagel carried the puck down the right boards and fed Keranen with a centering pass. Keranen swiftly moved the puck to his backhand and elevated the puck over Altshuller for his eighth goal of the season. Shortly after, a goalie fight erupted when Alshuller skated the length of the ice to challenge Iowa goalie Steven Michalek. Altshuller did not return after the fight and was replaced by MacIntyre, who re-entered the game.
The Wild returns home after the All-Star break for a game against the Chicago Wolves on Friday, Feb. 5. Friday’s game is “Health & Wellness Night” and the first 1,500 fans to the game receive an Iowa Wild eye chart, sponsored by Lifetime Vision and WHO AM of iHeart Media. The Wild are also hosting a Book Drive courtesy of Read Across American and ISEA. Fans donate a book and receive a ticket voucher to a future Iowa Wild weekday game. The “Bring Your Buds Bundle” is also available for purchase, including one ticket, one 16 oz. Budweiser or Bud Light at the game, one hotdog, one popcorn, $1 off a Budweiser or Bud Light 25 oz. can during the Wild game, and one free beer at Carl’s Place following the game. Iowa travels to Chicago the following night for a game against the Wolves on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.
Fans may purchase single-game tickets multiple ways, either through the team's website – www.Iowawild.com, the Wells Fargo Arena box office or participating Hy-Vee food stores. Tickets are available online at www.Iowawild.com under the single game tickets tab. The Wells Fargo Arena box office is open Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and closed on Sunday. For Saturday game days, the box office will open at 10 a.m. For Sunday game days the box office will open at 12 p.m. Fans may also purchase tickets by calling 1-844-55-HYVEE or by visiting participating Hy-Vee food stores locations in the greater Des Moines area. Those interested may also visit www.hy-veetix.com. Fans interested in buying full season, or smaller season packages may call the Iowa Wild front office at 515-564-8700.
The Iowa Wild 2015-16 season is presented by Mercy Medical Center, it runs from October through April. Fans may purchase seats to see any of the team’s 38 regular season home games at Wells Fargo Arena. Season tickets to see the Wild play its 2015-16 season at Wells Fargo Arena start at just $9 per game. For more information on tickets, including ticket plans and group seating, please contact the Wild ticket office by calling 515-564-8700 or go to www.iowawild.com.
Follow the Iowa Wild on Twitter @IAWILD or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iawild.
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