COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW VS ONTARIO 11.12.16
Nov 11, 2016 Ontario Reign (3-3-3-0, 9 points) at Iowa Wild (5-8-0-0, 10 points)
Iowa welcomes Ontario for the fourth game of six straight at home. Ontario begins its three-game road trip Saturday night in Iowa. The Reign and the Wild meet for the first time in AHL history. Iowa will make a trip to the West coast in mid-February to meet the Reign in Ontario, CA. Iowa is coming off a 4-1 defeat at home on Friday night to the Charlotte Checkers. Ontario is coming off a 5-1 defeat on Wednesday at home against San Antonio. After starting the season with two straight wins, the Reign has one win over the last six outings.
This marks the third game of three in three nights for the Wild. Iowa is 4-6-0-0 at home this season, while Ontario is 2-2-2-0 on the road. Iowa has dropped back-to-back games and is 4-6-0-0 over the last ten games. The Reign has picked up points in six of the nine games played.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
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
at Manitoba 11/22 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
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 4-1 in front of 6,143 fans on Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena. Checkers defenseman Matt Tennyson had a hat trick, leading the Checkers to their sixth straight win. Goalie Michael Leighton made 33 saves for the win. Iowa goalie Steve Michalek made 26 saves in the loss. Wild defenseman Gustav Olofsson scored his club’s lone goal.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 13 games of the regular season, veteran forward Jordan Schroeder leads the team in scoring with four goals and four assists for eight points in 10 games. Defenseman Mike Reilly has one goal and six assists for seven points in eight games. He was recalled on Wednesday to Minnesota. Defenseman Gustav Olofsson is tied for first in scoring with eight points and he is tied for the team lead with six assists. Rookie Alex Tuch is tied for third on the team in points with seven in 13 games played. Forwards Colton Beck (2g-4a) and Mario Lucia (2g,4a) also rank among the team’s scoring leaders.
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 4-3-0 with a 2.85 GAA and a .927 SV%. Vay has yet to make his AHL debut.
Iowa’s power play sits 13th in the league after going 11-for-59 (18.6%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 23rd after stopping 40 of 51 (78.4%).
Notables –
● Iowa forward Teemu Pulkkinen has three points in his first four games with the club
● Ontario Reign forward Brett Sutter makes his first visit to Wells Fargo Arena after he was traded to the LA Kings at the trade deadline last March. Sutter played in 128 games for Iowa from 2014-16, scoring 18 goals and totaling 43 points.
Ontario Reign
Center TJ Hensick leads the Reign in scoring. The veteran center has a team leading six assists and nine points in nine games played. Defenseman Vincent LoVerde is tied for second on the team in points with eight off of four goals and four assists in nine games. His four goals lead the team. Right wing Jonny Brodzinski is also tied for second in scoring, as well as tied for the lead in assists. Brodzinski has six assists and eight points in nine games. Left wing Michael Mersch is tied for the lead in goals (3g,3a) and is fourth in scoring with six points in nine games. Right wing Sean Backman has five points (2g,3a) and defenseman Zach Leslie round out the top scorers with five points each.
The Reign roster features goalies Jack Campbell, Anders Lindback and Jonah Imoo. Campbell is 2-1-0 with a 3.32 GAA and a .898 SV%. Lindback is 0-1-1 with a 3.93 GAA and a .833 SV%. Imoo is 0-0-1 with a 3.32 GAA and a .898 SV%.
Ontario’s power play leads the league (1st), going 12-for-35 (34.3%). The Reign are ranked 28th in the league on penalty kills, stopping 34 of 38 (70.8%).