TUCH'S HEROICS LEAD MINNESOTA OVER CHICAGO 3-1
Sep 20, 2016TRAVERSE CITY, MI – The Minnesota Wild prospects (1-3) capped off a rally in the third period by erasing a one-goal deficit and striking for three goals in the period, which included the game-winning goal from Alex Tuch at 19:42 for a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks prospects. The Blackhawks struck for the game’s first goal at 7:14 of the final period with a tally by Hayden Verbeek. The Wild mounted a comeback, starting with Christoph Bertschy’s goal at 12:45 of the final period, tying the game 1-1. Winger Alex Tuch scored with merely 18-seconds remaining in regulation for the 2-1 lead. Forward Alex Petan added an empty-net goal in the last second of play for the 3-1 final. Wild goalie Adam Vay (1-1) secured the team’s lone Traverse City win by making 26 saves on 27 shots. Chicago’s Brent Moran suffered the loss, stopping 38 of 40 Minnesota shots.
The Minnesota Wild opens training camp on Thursday, September 22nd.
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Here is Joe O’Donnell’s Blog of the Tournament -
TRAVERSE CITY BLOG
The following is a running blog of the 2016 NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. The round-robin tournament features eight NHL teams. This season marks the 17th year of the tournament at the Centre Ice Arena. Intra-division games began on Friday, and will run through Monday.
On Tuesday, the four games played will determine 1st-8th place.
For more on the tournament, click here: http://www.centreice.org/page/show/467296-nhl-prospect-tournament
GAME #4 RECAP: WILD VS. BLACKHAWKS (HOME TEAM): 3-1 W
For the second straight outing, the Wild prospects played a spirited opening period, carrying much of the play against the Blackhawks. The best chance for Minnesota came about halfway through the period when winger Mario Lucia sliced past a couple of defenders and uncorked a wrist shot from the high slot. However, Blackhawks goaltender Brent Moran (38 saves) denied the former Notre Dame star, and the two teams played a scoreless frame. Shots in the period favored the Wild 15-5, and Minnesota earned the only two power plays of the stanza.
In the second period, Minnesota goaltender Adam Vay (26 saves) made a couple of great stops, including a glove save in the latter stages of the period to keep the game scoreless. The Wild had their chances as well, as Joel Eriksson Ek, Christoph Bertschy and Alex Tuch all had solid looks at the Blackhawks net. After 40 minutes, it was still a scoreless game.
The Blackhawks broke through in the third period, striking at the 7:14 mark. However Minnesota responded, as Bertschy tallied with 7:15 left in regulation. The Swiss-born forward snuck a shot between the legs of Moran from just outside the goal crease, capping off a rush into the Blackhawks zone. Tuch and Eriksson Ek got the helpers.
Late in the third period, the Wild went on their fifth power play of the contest. Despite being shorthanded, Chicago gobbled up a loose puck and forward Alexandre Fortin was in alone from the neutral zone, but Vay stopped the go-ahead bid to keep the score tied.
Then, with less than 20 seconds to play, Tuch rifled a shot from the slot that found its way through the traffic in front of the Blackhawks cage and past Moran. The goal was his second marker, and third point, of the tournament. Defenseman Gustav Bouramman, and Bertschy, picked up the assists.
Winger Alex Petan deposited an empty-net goal from center ice just prior to the final buzzer, giving the Wild a 3-1 edge.
Minnesota registered 41 shots on net in picking up its first win, earning a seventh-place finish overall.
BOX SCORE: http://d15k3om16n459i.cloudfront.net/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=2927581
NOTES:
· Bertschy, Bouramman and Tuch each finished the tournament with a team-high, three points
· Minnesota was a perfect 9-9 on the penalty kill over the four games
· The Carolina Hurricanes claimed 1st place, defeating the Detroit Red Wings in the championship game by a score of 6-4.
QUOTES:
· Tuch on the win: “I thought the guys were really happy in the locker room after the game. We really wanted it.”
· Tuch on his game-winner: “[Bouramman] put it on net, and it got blocked. I just tried to shoot through Lucia’s legs through the screen and it made its way into the net.”
- Wild Joe Radio
2016 TRAVERSE CITY NHL PROSPECTS TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE*
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
Dallas (3) vs. Minnesota (1) F
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
Carolina (4) vs. Minnesota (2) F
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
Minnesota (1) vs. New York Rangers (2)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
Minnesota (3) vs. Chicago (1)
* All times listed are Central
The 2016-17 Iowa Wild regular season schedule begins on Oct. 14 and single-game tickets for the 2016-17 regular season will go on sale in mid-September. Follow the Iowa Wild on Twitter @IAWILD or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iawild. Opening Night 2016 is set for Friday, Oct. 14 at Wells Fargo Arena, when the team opens a seven-game home stand.
The Iowa Wild 2016-17 season is presented by Mercy Medical Center: and 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 2016-17 season at Wells Fargo Arena start at just $10 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.
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 tickets, or smaller season packages may call the Iowa Wild front office at 515-564-8700.
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