COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW VS CHARLOTTE 11.11.16
Nov 11, 2016 Charlotte Checkers (6-3-0-0, 12 Points) at Iowa Wild (5-7-0-0, 10 Points)
Iowa welcomes Charlotte for the third game of six straight at home. The Wild and Checkers met on Thursday morning, with Charlotte taking a 5-4 decision. The Checkers have five straight wins coming into tonight’s game.
The Wild welcomed the Checkers for a pair of games in October, with both teams grabbing a win. Charlotte has taken two of the three meetings this season (all in Des Moines). Overall, this marks the 24th meeting between the teams, as Charlotte leads the all-time series mark with a record of 15-6-2-0, including a 9-3-1-0 record in Des Moines. The Wild is 8-13-0-2 all-time with a 4-8-0-1 record at home.
This marks the second game of three in three nights for the Wild. Iowa is 4-5-0-0 at home this season, while Charlotte is 2-3-0-0 on the road.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
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
vs. Chicago 11/18 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Chicago 11/19 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
11.7.16: Add – Forwards Christoph Bertschy and Jordan Schroeder - assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
11.7.16: Add – G Adam Vay – recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
11.9.16: Delete – Forwards Christoph Bertschy, Zack Mitchell and Defense Mike Reilly - recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
11.10.16: Add – D Scott Czarnowczan (signed PTO)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Charlotte Checkers 5-4 on Thursday morning in front of a team-record 13,121 fans at Wells Fargo Arena. Checkers forward Patrick Brown broke a 4-4 tie with 5:36 left in regulation, catapulting Charlotte past Iowa. The two teams combined for seven goals in the first period and the Wild carried a 4-3 lead into the third period before relinquishing control. Wild forward Teemu Pulkkinen (1g-1a) and defenseman Gustav Olofsson (2a) each picked up two points in the setback. Charlotte goalie Alex Nedeljkovic garnered his first win of his career with 18 saves. Iowa goalie Steve Michalek suffered the loss with 42 saves on 47 shots, his third straight game with over 40 saves. Forwards Pat Cannone, Kurtis Gabriel and Mario Lucia also scored in the defeat. The Wild broke its own attendance record with 13,121 fans at the game, the largest ever for a pro hockey game in the state of Iowa.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 12 games of the regular season, veteran forward Jordan Schroeder leads the team in scoring with four goals and four assists for eight points in nine games. Defenseman Mike Reilly has one goal and six assists for seven points in eight games. He was recalled on Wednesday to Minnesota. Rookie Alex Tuch is tied for third on the team in points with seven in 12 games played. Defenseman Gustav Olofsson is tied for third in scoring with seven points and he is tied for the team lead with six assists. He is followed by Colton Beck (2g-4a) and Mario Lucia (2g,4a), who have the fourth highest point total on the team.
Veteran Alex Stalock, rookies Adam Vay and Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 1-5-0 with a 4.46 GAA and a .865 SV%. Michalek is 4-2-0 with a 2.80 GAA and a .930 SV%. Vay has yet to make his AHL debut.
Iowa’s power play sits 13th in the league after going 10-for-55 (18.2%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 23rd after stopping 38 of 48 (79.2%).
Notables –
● Iowa goalie Steve Michalek has made over 40 saves in three straight starts.
● Iowa dropped to 0-3-0-0 all-time in School Day Games.
Charlotte Checkers
Captain Derek Ryan has five goals and eight assists, leading the Checkers in scoring with 13 points in nine games. Rookie Andrew Poturalski is second in scoring with four goals and nine points in nine games. Left wing Brock McGinn is third in scoring with eight points (5g,3a) in nine games. He is tied for the lead in goals and has a team-high 35 shots. Right wing Valentin Zykov (7 pts. 9 games) and Patrick Brown (6pts. In 9 games) are also among the team scoring leaders.
Veteran Michael Leighton and rookie Alex Nedeljkovic split time in net for Charlotte. Leighton is (5-0-0) with a 1.41 GAA and a .938 SV%. Nedeljkovic is 1-3-0 with a 3.93 GAA and a .862 SV%.
Charlotte’s power play (23rd) has been slow to start, going 6-for-44 (13.6%), The Checkers are one of the league’s best (3rd) on the penalty kill, stopping 33 of 37 (89.2%).