GAME PREVIEW - CHICAGO WOLVES AT IOWA WILD 4.16.14
Apr 16, 2014Chicago Wolves (42-21-5-5, 94 points) at Iowa Wild (27-36-6-4, 64 points)
Wednesday’s game is the final of ten meetings this season between Iowa and Chicago. The Wolves lead the season series with a 5-1-1-2 record, while Iowa is 4-3-1-1. Five of the eight games have gone to overtime or a shootout. Chicago claimed the last meeting, a 4-1 victory at Iowa five days ago. The Wolves have outscored the Wild 29-23. Wolves forward Keith Aucoin leads all scorers with seven assists and nine points in seven games. Ty Rattie leads all skaters with five goals.
Iowa lost 3-0 at home on Sunday night to the visiting Milwaukee Admirals. The Wild has dropped seven straight home games dating back to a 2-1 win over San Antonio on Mar. 16. The team has lost 11 of the last 12 games on home ice. Iowa is 11-22-3-1 at home, having been outscored 110-71. The Wild is 2-8-0-0 over the last ten outings and 12-22-3-2 against the Midwest Division. Wednesday night marks the final home game of the regular season for Iowa. The team will play a pair of games in Oklahoma City to conclude the regular season. Iowa did not qualify for the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs.
The Wolves are coming off a 4-2 win over Rockford at home on Sunday. The team has four wins over the last eight games. Chicago is 18-13-2-3 on the road this season, outscoring the opposition 103-92. Chicago is 6-2-0-2 over the last ten games and 23-11-2-5 against the Midwest Division. Chicago has outscored its opponents 85-82 in the second period of play. The Wolves rank fourth overall in the Western Conference and have already clinched a playoff spot. Chicago plays in Rockford on Friday and concludes its regular season at home with Milwaukee on Saturday.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Chicago 4/16 7:05 PM KXNO /iHeartRadio
at Oklahoma City 4/18 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Oklahoma City 4/19 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Latest Transactions:
4/16 – Delete G Cody Reichard (Released PTO), Add goalie Joe Howe (signed PTO)
4/10 – Add G Joel Martin (signed PTO – from Kalamazoo - ECHL)
4/3 – Add G Cody Reichard (signed PTO- from Orlando - ECHL)
4/2 – Delete G John Curry and F Jake Dowell (recalled to MN – NHL)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Milwaukee Admirals 3-0 in front of 6,720 fans at the Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday night. Admirals goalie Scott Darling (13-5-2) made 24 saves to earn the shutout, his third against Iowa this season. Defenseman Charles-Olivier Roussel scored in the second period, and forwards Mathieu Tousignant and Francis Wathier added insurance tallies in the third period. Iowa goalie Joel Martin (0-2-0) stopped 30 shots in the loss.
Iowa Wild
After 73 games, forward Brad Winchester leads the team in scoring with 19 goals and 36 points in 74 games. He has three goals and six points in 20 games with Iowa since he was acquired from Rockford via trade. Forwards Carson McMillan and Zack Phillips are also among the top scorers. Phillips has career highs of 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points in 73 games played. He is the last remaining player to skate in every game this season. McMillan has 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in 65 games played. Defenseman Steven Kampfer is also among the top scorers with 19 assists and 25 points in 66 games played.
Goalies Johan Gustafsson, Joel Martin and Cody Reichard man the nets for Iowa. Johan Gustafsson is 12-19-2 with a 3.00 GAA and a .904 SV %. Reichard is 1-1-0 with a 3.36 GAA and a .912 SV%. Martin is 0-2-0 with a 3.03 GAA and a .897 SV %.
Iowa is 47-for-281 (16.7%) on the power play and has allowed 59 power-play goals against on 290 attempts (79.7%). The Wild is 30th in the AHL with a 2.21 goals per game average and the team sits 23rd with a 3.07 goals against average.
Notables –
· Iowa is 18-7-1-6 when scoring first, while Chicago is 28-5-1-3.
· Wild defenseman Tyler Cuma played in his 200th career AHL game on Sunday.
Chicago Wolves
Three of the Wolves best scorers are in St. Louis with the parent club Blues. Rookie forward Ty Rattie and veteran forward Keith Aucoin led Chicago in scoring at the time of their recall. Rattie has a team-leading 29 goals and 46 points in 69 games played. Keith Aucoin has 29 assists and 40 points in 60 games played. Fellow veteran Alexandre Bolduc is third in scoring with 19 assists and 36 points 56 games. Despite playing in only 28 games, Adam Cracknell was also among the team leaders with 12 goals and 25 points. Cracknell is also in St. Louis.
Goalies Matt Climie and Jake Allen split time in net for the Wolves. Allen has appeared in 51 games, going 32-16-3 with a 2.07 GAA and a .927 SV%. Matt Climie is 9-10-2 on year, sporting a 2.83 GAA and a .896 SV%.
The Wolves are 42-for-331 (12.7% - 30th in the AHL) on the power play this year. Despite struggles on the extra man advantage, Chicago’s penalty kill has allowed 48 goals on 314 penalty kills (85.4% - 4th in AHL). The Wolves average 3.07 goals per game and allow 2.53 per game (5th overall).