WILD STOPS MOOSE IN PRESEASON GAME 4-3
Oct 9, 2016IOWA WILD 2016 PRESEASON RECAPS
What’s up Wild fans?
Broadcaster Joe O’Donnell here from North Dakota where the Iowa Wild and Manitoba square off twice in some neutral site preseason action.
It’s the second straight year the Wild and Moose have met in North Dakota. Last season, the two clubs split a pair of matchups. The following will be a bit of an informal blog / recap of the 2016 action.
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GAME 1 (10/08/16) – SCHEELS ARENA, FARGO, ND
The Wild controlled the play for large chunks of the first period, winning its fair share of battles and generating an early power-play chance. From a physical standpoint, I thought defensemen Hunter Warner and Nick Seeler were aggressive and led the charge in that department. However, the game was scoreless after 20 minutes of play.
Iowa took advantage of a four-minute power play in the second period, as winger Colton Beck converted from the side of the net, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead with 12:06 remaining in the frame. Center Pat Cannone and defenseman Gustav Olofsson set up the goal.
Moments later, the Wild made it 2-0 on a tally by winger Alex Petan. The Michigan Tech product, who played in 10 games for Iowa at the end of last season but is currently on a tryout agreement, lifted a shot upstairs from just outside the goal crease. Forward Parker Bowles grabbed a helper on the play.
At the second intermission, the Wild maintained a 2-0 lead, holding the Moose to just eight total shots.
Manitoba climbed back into the contest early in the third, blitzing the Wild for a couple of goals in a 50-second span. Winger Scott Kosmachuk tallied from the bottom of the right circle, wristing a shot past the blocker of Wild goaltender Steve Michalek (12 saves) making it a 2-1 game. On the next shift, winger Jimmy Lodge fired a long shot that beat Michalek and tied the score.
The Wild responded, however, netting its second power-play goal of the night for a 3-2 advantage. Rookie winger Alex Tuch, Minnesota’s first-round pick in 2014, buried a rebound from the right of Moose goaltender Jamie Phillips (25 saves) at the 6:15 mark. Beck and Cannone both added their second points of the game, as they were credited with the assists.
Then at 9:51 of the third period, tryout hopeful Jack Nevins grabbed a loose puck, turned to his backhand and beat a sprawled out Phillips for a 4-2 Wild lead. The goal was unassisted. Nevins, who had several chances earlier in the game, is coming off a four-goal, 101-penalty minute campaign in Rochester last season.
With less than five minutes left, Lodge earned his second of the game, rifling a shot from the slot past the stick side of Michalek. Forwards Axel Blomqvist and Ryan Olsen registered the helpers.
Despite pulling their goaltender and getting several pucks to the net, the Moose were unable to equalize the score, and the Wild prevailed, 4-3.
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The final shots favored Iowa 29-15. In addition to netting a pair of power play goals, the Wild penalty kill finished three-for-three.
Overall, it was a solid preseason outing for the Wild. They really didn’t spend long stretches trapped in their own zone, they won the special teams battle, dominated in the shot department and played a good team game.
Sunday’s rematch is a quick turnaround for both teams with an hour-plus bus ride from Fargo to Grand Forks following the game at Scheels Arena, and a 2 pm start time. Expect both teams to make at least a couple of lineup changes, especially the Wild who have four more players on their roster than the Moose.
- Wild Joe Radio