COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW VS ROCKFORD 11.6.16
Nov 6, 2016 Iowa Wild (4-6-0-0, 8 Points) at Rockford IceHogs (4-6-0-0, 8 Points)
Iowa begins a six-game home stand after concluding its three-game road swing. Iowa is coming off a 5-3 loss at Milwaukee on Saturday night, wrapping up its road swing at 1-2-0-0. This marks the first of ten regular season games between the Wild and the IceHogs. Rockford is coming off a 2-1 defeat in Charlotte on Thursday, stretching its losing skid to four-games. Over that span, the Hogs have been outscored 20-7.
As far as rivalries go, the Wild has played the IceHogs more than any other team in AHL history with the 31st meeting on Sunday. Iowa is 9-20-1-0 all-time against Rockford, including a 4-11-0-0 mark all-time in Des Moines. The IceHogs are 21-6-1-2 against the Wild all-time, including an 11-4-0-0 mark at Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa plays the third of three games in three nights in three different cities. Iowa is 3-4-0-0 at home this season, while Rockford is 1-5-0-0 on the road.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Rockford 11/6 5:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Charlotte 11/10 10:30 AM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Charlotte 11/11 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Ontario 11/12 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Rockford 11/16 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
11.1.16: Delete – Forwards Christoph Bertschy, Jordan Schroeder and Tyler Graovac - recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
11.2.16: Delete – D Guillaume Gelinas – assigned to Quad City (ECHL) and D Scott Czarnowczan – released from PTO
11.2.16: Add – C Chase Lang – assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild was defeated by the Milwaukee Admirals 5-3 in front of 4,082 fans on Saturday night at UWM Panthers Arena. Milwaukee forward Pontus Aberg and defenseman Alexandre Carrier each scored twice and added an assist to lead the Admirals over Iowa in the third meeting of the year between the two clubs. Admirals goalie Juuse Saros stopped 28 of 31 Iowa shots. Iowa goalie Alex Stalock made 26 saves on31 Admirals shots. Forwards Marc Hagel and Kurtis Gabriel, and defenseman Mike Weber, each had a goal in the road loss.
Iowa Wild
Through the first ten games of the regular season, veteran forward Jordan Schroeder leads the team in scoring with four goals and three assists for seven points in eight games. He was named the AHL Player of the Week and then recalled to Minnesota earlier this week. Defenseman Mike Reilly has one goal and five assists for six points in six games. Forward Colton Beck (2g-3a) is tied for third on the team with five points. He is joined by Mario Lucia (1g,4a) and Alex Tuch (1g,4a). Four other skaters are tied for fourth on the team in points with four points apiece. Rookie forwards Sam Anas (2g-1a), and Adam Gilmour (1g-3a) also rank among the top scorers on the team.
Veteran Alex Stalock and rookie Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is (1-5-0) with a 4.46 GAA and a .865 SV%. Michalek is 3-1-0 with a 2.73 GAA and a .928 SV%.
Iowa’s power play sits 15th in the league after going 9-for-52 (17.3%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 23rd after stopping 34 of 43 (79.1%).
Notables –
● Forward Teemu Pulkkinen is expected to make his home debut for Iowa on Sunday.
● Rockford was 5-1-0-0 at Wells Fargo Arena last season.
Rockford IceHogs
Right wing Spencer Abbott and veteran forward Mark McNeill, are tied for the team lead in scoring with seven points each. Abbott has a team-high, four goals and seven points in ten games. McNeill is tied for the team lead with five assists and has seven points in ten games played. Defensemen Eric Gustafsson leads the blueline in points with six points in ten games played. He is third on the team with four assists. Center Tanner Kero and defenseman Ville Pokka are tied for fourth in points with five apiece. Kero has two goals and three assists in ten games. Pokka is tied for the team lead with five assists in ten games. Left wing Brandon Mashinter leads his team with 18 penalty minutes.
Goalies Lars Johansson and Mac Carruth share time in net for Rockford. Johansson sees the majority of time and is 3-4-0 with a 2.49 GAA and a .913 SV %. Carruth is 1-2-0 with a 4.12 GAA and a .849 SV %.
Rockford’s power play is 21st, going 7-for-46 (15.2%). The Hogs are 14th on the penalty kill, stopping 35 of 42 (83.3%).