GAME PREVIEW - STOCKTON HEAT AT IOWA WILD 3.18.16
Mar 18, 2016Iowa Wild (21-35-3-4, 49 Points) at Stockton Heat (25-24-2-2, 54 Points)
Iowa and Stockton meet for the second and final time this season. The two teams met for the first time in franchise history on Jan. 17 – a 7-4 victory for the Heat at Wells Fargo Arena. This is the first season in Stockton for the Heat, having been relocated from Adirondack after the 2014-15 season. Iowa and Adirondack split the season series 1-1-0-0, with the Heat winning the only game at Wells Fargo Arena 2-1. Iowa posted a 4-0 win at Adirondack in February of 2015. In 2013-14, the franchise was in Abbotsford, BC, where it posted three wins in four outings against Iowa.
BECOME A WILD 365 MEMBER TODAY!
Iowa is 12-18-0-2 on the road this season, having been outscored 90-66 by the home teams. The Wild is 5-5-0-0 over the last ten and 16-13-1-1 since Dec. 26. The Wild is coming off a 5-1 loss at home to Milwaukee on Sunday. Iowa is playing its eighth road game in the last nine outings.
Stockton is 18-8-1-0 at home this season, matching the home teams 86-66. The Heat is 5-4-0-1 over the last ten games played. The team is coming off a 3-2 OTL at home to Texas on Saturday. The team concludes a four-game home stand, followed by a six-game road swing.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Stockton 3/18 9:30 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at San Jose 3/19 8:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Chicago 3/25 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Chicago 3/26 12:30 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Manitoba 3/30 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
3.11.16: Add – G Steve Michalek - assigned from Minnesota (NHL)
3.11.16: Delete – F Jordan Schroeder – recalled to Minnesota (NHL)
3.15.16: Delete – F Jared Knight– assigned to Quad City (ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Milwaukee Admirals 5-1 in front of 5,753 fans at the Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday evening. The Admirals scored four power-play goals and had five different players enjoy multi-point games. Forwards Max Reinhart, Pontus Aberg, Frederick Gaudreau and defenseman Trevor Murphy each scored a power-play goal for MIlwaukee. Reinhart added an even-strength goal for the Admirals for his second of the night. Admirals’ goalie Marek Mazanec made 27 saves on 28 shots in the victory. Iowa goalie Steve Michalek made 19 saves on 24 shots in the defeat. Forward Rob Bordson scored the lone goal in the Iowa loss.
Iowa Wild
Forwards Grayson Downing, Zack Mitchell and Christoph Bertschy lead Iowa in scoring. Mitchell leads the team with 20 goals and with 36 points in 60 games played. Downing has 34 points off 16 goals and 18 assists in 45 games played. Recently called up to the NHL, forward Jordan Schroeder was third in scoring with 34 points and was second on the team with 20 assists in 40 games played. Bertschy leads the team with 21 assists and is fourth in scoring with 30 points in 60 games played. He also leads the team with 143 shots on goal. Iowa’s offensive leader from the blueline is Maxime Fortunus with six goals and 17 points in 63 games played. Mike Reilly is in Minnesota (21 points) and All-star defenseman Gustav Olofsson (17 points) is injured.
Leland Irving and Steven Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Leland Irving has made 33 appearances, going 10-18-4 with a 2.70 GAA and a .914 SV%. Rookie Steve Michalek is 6-3-0 with a 2.46 GAA and a .910 SV %.
Iowa ranks 22nd after going 33-for-212 (15.6%) on the power play. The team is 162-for-200 (81.0%) on the penalty kill – 21st in the AHL.
Notables –
● Iowa makes its first ever California trip with visits to Stockton and San Jose.
Stockton Heat
Left wing Hunter Shinkaruk leads the Heat in scoring, he has 43 points in 53 games played off 23 goals and 20 assists. Shinkaruk was obtained in a trade with Vancouver at the deadline. In eight games with two goals and four points in eight games played for Stockton. Forward Kenny Agostino is next on the squad in scoring with 42 points in the season. Agostino is first on the team with 25 assists and is third in goals scored with 17 in 50 games played. Center Derek Grant is third on the team in scoring, he has 38 points in 30 games played. Grant has been injured since Feb 6. Aaron Johnson leads all defensemen in scoring with 18 points in 28 games played.
Stockton has three active goalies on the roster. Kent Simpson (3-4-0) has made 11 appearances, posting a 4.09 GAA and a .861 SV%. Kevin Poulin is 11-8-3 and holds a .913 SV% and 2.81 GAA in 23 appearances. Rookie Jon Gillies (2-3-1) has posted two shutouts in seven appearances, posting a .920 SV% and a 2.31 GAA.
Stockton is 42-for-241 on the power play and sits 12th at 17.4%. The Heat is 160-for-198 on the penalty kill and ranked 23rd at 80.8%.