COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW AT ONTARIO 2.15.17
Feb 15, 2017 Iowa Wild (25-20-5-2, 57 points) at Ontario Reign (24-12-8-0, 56 points)
Iowa concludes a quick two-game California road trip with a final stop in Ontario. The Wild dropped a 5-1 decision at San Diego on Tuesday night. The loss ended Iowa’s team record 11-game point streak (7-0-3-1) and the team’s franchise record nine-game road winning streak. The Wild still has points in 15 of its last 17 games (11-2-3-1, (.764)), by far the best stretch of hockey in team history. The Reign is coming off a 4-1 loss at San Jose on Sunday. Ontario has one win in the last five outings (1-3-1-0). This is the second and final regular season meeting between the two teams. Ontario and Iowa have met once over the course of AHL history, a 6-5 shootout win for the Reign in Des Moines on Nov. 12.
Iowa is 15-8-2-0 on the road this season and 7-1-1-1 over the last 10 outings. The Wild has outscored the home teams 63-60 this season. The Reign is 13-6-2-0 at home and 5-3-2-0 over the last ten games. Ontario has outscored the road teams 70-64.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Ontario 2/15 9:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Cleveland 2/19 3:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Cleveland 2/20 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Chicago 2/25 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Chicago 2/26 3:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
2.13.17: Delete – RW Alex Tuch – recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
2.13.17: Delete – F Zack Mitchell – recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
2.14.17: Add – F Tyler Sikura – signed PTO
2.14.17: Add – F Tyler Graovac – assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The San Diego Gulls used three second-period goals to pull away from Iowa en route to a 5-1 win on Tuesday night at the Valley View Casino Center. Forward Jordan Samuels-Thomas and defenseman Andy Welinski each had a goal and an assist in San Diego’s sixth straight home win. Goalie Jhonas Enroth stopped 20 of 21 for the win, as the Gulls swept the season series from Iowa. Steve Michalek took the Iowa loss with 34 saves, while Teemu Pulkkinen scored the only Iowa goal.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 52 games of the regular season, right wing Teemu Pulkkinen leads the club with 16 goals and 33 points in 42 games played. Pulkkinen also leads the team in power-play goals (4), first goals (5), game-winning goals (4) and shots (137). Rookie Alex Tuch is second on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 36 games played. Veteran center Pat Cannone is third, followed by rookie Mario Lucia. Cannone has 17 assists and seven goals in 49 games played. Lucia has nine goals and 13 assists in 43 games. Gustav Olofsson, currently in Minnesota, is fifth in scoring with 21 points. He has five goals and 21 points to lead all defensemen in scoring in 45 games played.
Veteran Alex Stalock and Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 15-10-6 with a 2.47 GAA and a .919 SV%. Michalek is 10-10-1 with a 2.62 GAA and a .920 SV%.
Iowa’s power play sits 15th in the league after going 33-for-186 (17.7%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 14th in the AHL after stopping 156-of-191 (81.7%).
Notables
· Iowa defenseman Mike Reilly has a point in three straight games.
Ontario Reign
Center TJ Hensick leads the Reign in scoring with 36 points in 44 games played. The veteran center has a team leading 25 assists and 11 goals. Right wing Jonny Brodzinski is second in scoring with 33 points in 44 games played. He has a team-high 18 goals and adds 15 assists. Right wing Sean Backman is third in scoring with 25 points in 44 outings. Backman is tied for second on the team with 17 assists. Center Mike Amadio is tied for fourth in points with defenseman Vinvent LoVerde. Amadio has nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points in 44 games. LoVerde leads all defensemen in scoring with six goals and 17 assists for 23 points in 43 games played.
The Reign roster features goalies Jack Campbell and Jack Flinn. Campbell is 21-9-5 with a 2.67 GAA and a .909 SV%. He has started the last 29 straight games for the Reign. Flinn is 1-2-1 with a 3.41 GAA and a .874 SV%.
Ontario’s power play is second in the league, going 41-for-159 (25.8%). The Reign are ranked 24th in the league on penalty kills, stopping 137-of-172 (79.7%).