GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT LAKE ERIE MONSTERS 2.22.14

Feb 22, 2014

Media Kit - HERE

Iowa Wild (22-19-6-4, 54 points) at Lake Erie Monsters (21-24-0-5, 47 points)  

Saturday’s game is the final of four meetings this season between the two clubs. With a 2-1 shootout win at Quicken Loans Arena on Friday night, Iowa improved to 3-0-0-0 against Lake Erie this season. The Wild also beat Lake Erie 6-1 in the first meeting and followed up with a 1-0 victory in the second meeting, both at Wells Fargo Arena in mid-January. Overall, Iowa has outscored Lake Erie 8-2 in the three previous meetings.

Iowa ended a three-game winless skid with a victory at Lake Erie on Friday. The Wild has a record of 12-6-3-3 on the road, outscored by the opposition 71-69. Iowa is 3-3-3-1 over the last ten outings and 4-1-2-1 against the North Division. The team concludes a stretch of three straight against North Division opponents.

Lake Erie opened up a four-game homestand with Iowa on Friday. The Monsters have dropped four straight on home ice and six of the last seven games at Quicken Loans Arena. Lake Erie is 13-11-0-2 at home, outscored by the visitors 76-70.  The AHL affiliate of Colorado is 4-4-0-2 over the last ten games and 5-8-0-1 against the Midwest Division.

Upcoming Games:

Team                          Date    Time               Radio / TV

at Lake Erie                   2/22      6 PM CT            iHeartRadio

vs. Rockford                 2/25      5:35 PM             KXNO 1460 / iHeartRadio / Mediacom 22

vs. Rochester                2/25      7:05 PM             KXNO 1460 / iHeartRadio

Latest Transactions:

2/21 - Delete forward Taylor Matson (assigned to Orlando – ECHL)

2/21 – Add defenseman Jonathon Blum and forward Jake Dowell (assigned - Minnesota - NHL)

2/17 – Delete forward Jack Downing (released from PTO – returns to South Carolina - ECHL).

Last Time Out:

The Iowa Wild defeated the Lake Erie Monsters 2-1 in a shootout in front of 11,055 fans at Quicken Loans Arena on Friday night.  Wild goalie John Curry made 32 saves in regulation and stopped all four Monsters attempts for the shootout win. Defenseman Steven Kampfer and forward Carson McMillan scored in the shootout to help Iowa secure the extra point. Kampfer also scored Iowa’s lone regulation goal, helping his club end a three-game winless skid (0-2-1-0). Monsters goalie Sami Aittokallio stopped 34 of 35 Iowa shots in regulation and three of five attempts in the shootout loss. Iowa has three straight wins over Lake Erie this season.

Iowa Wild

After 50 games, defenseman Brian Connelly leads the team in scoring with 31 points in 48 appearances. Connelly has a team-high 27 assists, including a team-leading 14 on the power play. With nine points in his last six games, Forward Erik Haula moved into second for the team-scoring race with 26 points in 30 games. He has a team-high 14 goals and is third with 11 power-play points. Defenseman Jonathon Blum, as well as forward Carson McMillan are also among the top scorers. McMillan has 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 42 games played. He is currently out with an injury. Blum returns from Minnesota, he has six goals and 19 assists for 25 points in 42 games played with Iowa. Forward Zack Phillips has nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points in 51 games played. Third in goal scoring, Brett Bulmer (10 goals) recently returned from an injury. Forward Warren Peters is also among the active skaters in points with 18 (7g/11a).

Goalies Johan Gustafsson and John Curry man the nets for Iowa. Johan Gustafsson is 8-11-2 with a 3.10 GAA and a .903 SV %. Curry is 7-4-2 with a 1.93 GAA and a .939 SV%.

Iowa is 38-for-214 (17.8%) on the power play and has allowed 39 power-play goals against on 199 attempts (80.4%). The Wild is 25th in the AHL with a 2.51 goals per game average and the team sits 15th with a 2.84 goals against average.

Notables –

·      Iowa forward Justin Mercier played for Lake Erie from 2009-12.

Lake Erie Monsters

Forward Andrew Agozzino is first on the team with 34 points, tied for third in goals (11) and first overall with 23 assists. Center Mark Olver is second in scoring with 20 assists and 32 points in 45 games played. His 11 power-play assists lead the team. Left wing Bryan Lerg is third on the club with 27 points in 36 games played.  He is also tied for the team lead with 12 goals and the lead in power-play assists with 11. Berg also leads the Monsters with a team low -22 rating. Matt Hunwick leads all D-men in scoring with nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points in 38 games played. Guillaume Desbiens (114 PIM I 36 gp) and Mitchell Heard (123 / 45 gp) lead the Monsters in penalty minutes.

Goalies Calvin Pickard and Sami Aittokallio split time in net for Lake Erie. Pickard is 11-13-3 with a 3.00 GAA and a .898 save percentage. Aittokallio is 10-11-2 with a 2.69 GAA and a .909 SV%.

Lake Erie is 14th in the league on the power play, going 39-for-230 (17.7%). The Monsters penalty kill has allowed 44 goals on 240 chances (81.7%). The team averages 2.56 goals per game while allowing 3.12 goals against per game. 

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