GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT ABBOTSFORD HEAT 12.12.13
Dec 12, 2013MEDIA KIT - HERE
Iowa Wild (8-13-1-0, 17 points) at Abbotsford Heat (20-6-1-1, 42 points)
The Iowa Wild concludes a six-game road trip with its first visit to the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre for a pair of meetings with the AHL’s top team, the Abbotsford Heat. Thursday marks the final game of six straight on the road for Iowa. Iowa suffered a 6-2 loss Wednesday night in Abbotsford, falling to 2-2-1-0 on the current trip. The Wild returns home on Dec. 15, beginning a six-game homestand. The Wild is 5-3-1-0 on the road this year, outscoring the home clubs 29-25 this season. The Wild is 2-7-1-0 over the last ten outings and 5-7-1-0 against the West Division.
Abbotsford ends a six-game homestand with the final visit from Iowa. The club is 3-1-1-0 through the first five games after Wednesday night’s 6-2 win. The club improved to 9-2-1-1 at home this season, having outscored its opponents 44-31 on home ice. The club is 7-1-1-0 over the last nine games at home. Abbotsford is 7-2-1-0 over its last ten games and 6-0-0-1 against the Midwest division.
The Heat and Wild meet a total of four times during the regular season. Abbotsford has taken all three meetings by a combined score of 12-3. The Heat swept a two-game set in Des Moines the last weekend of November. After Joni Ortio secured a 4-0 shutout on Nov. 23, Joey MacDonald stopped 42 of 43 in a 2-1 win on Nov. 24.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Abbotsford 12/12 9:00 PM iHeart Radio
vs. Rockford 12/15 4:05 PM KXNO 1460 / iHeart Radio
vs. Grand Rapids 12/18 7:05 PM KXNO 1460 / iHeart Radio
Latest Transactions:
12/10 – Delete forward Jason Zucker (recalled – Minnesota – NHL)
12/9 – Add forward Erik Haula (assigned - Minnesota – NHL)
12/2 – Add forward Josh Caron (recalled from Orlando – ECHL)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Abbotsford Heat 6-2 in front of 1,409 fans at the Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night. The Heat erased a 2-1 deficit midway through the opening period, scoring two goals in 15-seconds and finishing with five unanswered tallies. Defenseman Brett Olson had a goal and two assists, leading the Heat to its league-high 20th win of the season. Abbotsford goalie Joni Ortio made 22 saves and forward Ben Street added two goals for the win. Iowa goalie Johan Gustafsson (3-4-0) recorded 20 saves in the defeat. Iowa forward Brett Bulmer scored and added an assist.
Iowa Wild
After 22 games, defensemen Brian Connelly and Jonathon Blum lead the team in scoring with 14 points each. Connelly has 13 assists and one goal in 20 games played. Defenseman Jonathon Blum has three goals and 11 assists in 22 games played. His 11 assists trail only Connelly. Blum has eight points in his last ten games. Forward Brett Bulmer is third in scoring with 12 in 21 games played. He also leads the team with nine goals and 62 shots on goal. Erik Haula scored in his return from Minnesota on Wednesday. He has five goals and six assists for 11 points in 19 games played. Forwards Warren Peters and Zack Phillips round out the top scorers with nine points each.
Goalies Johan Gustafsson and Darcy Kuemper man the nets for Iowa. Kuemper is 5-9-0 in 14 appearances, posting a 2.80 GAA and a .919 SV%. Kuemper has stopped 154 of the last 164 (.939 SV %) shots faced, going 2-2-0. Johan Gustafsson is 3-4-0 with a 3.08 GAA and a .893 SV %.
Iowa is 20-for-103 (19.4 %) on the power play and has allowed 21 power-play goals against on 104 attempts (79.8%) The Wild is 29th in the AHL with a 2.27 goals against average and the team sits 15th with a 2.95 goals per game average.
Notables –
· Warren Peters needs two assists to reach 100 for his AHL career.
· The Wild road power play is best in the AHL, converting 12 of 38 chances (31.6%)
Abbotsford Heat
Head Coach Troy G. Ward returns for his third season with the club. Ward has his club off to the best start of his tenure.
Center Ben Street leads the team in scoring with 26 points in 21 games. Street has a team-high, 16 goals and 61 shots on goal. Defenseman Chad Billins is second on the team in points with 24 in 24 games played, including a team-best 18 assists. Rookie Markus Granlund, Corban Knight and Ben Hanowski are also among the team leaders in points. Granlund, is second on the team with 11 goals and has 22 points in 23 games. Hanowski also has 21 points off nine goals and 12 assists in 27 games played. Knight has 20 points in 28 games played.
Goalies Joni Ortio and Joey MacDonald split time between the pipes for Abbotsford. MacDonald is 4-2-0 with a 2.46 GAA and a .9122 SV%. Ortio is 12-1-0 with a 2.26 GAA and a .923 SV %.
Abbotsford is second in the league on the power play, going 34-for-127 (26.8%). The Heat penalty kill has allowed 25 goals on 116 chances (78.4%). The team averages 3.50 goals per game while allowing 2.71 GAA.