GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT ROCKFORD ICEHOGS 11.26.14
Nov 26, 2014Iowa Wild (5-12-1-0, 11 points) at Rockford IceHogs (14-4-0-1, 29 Points)
The Iowa Wild begins a five-game road trip with a stop in Rockford on Wednesday. The two teams recently met in Rockford last Friday, with the Hogs winning 4-3 in overtime at the BMO Harris Bank Center. It was the second meeting of the year between the two teams, as Rockford improved to 2-0-0-0, outscoring Iowa 9-6 in the two previous contests. Rockford and Iowa meet eight times this season after playing in 10 games last year. Iowa is 4-7-1-0 all-time against Rockford, including a 2-3-1-0 road record. The Hogs are 8-3-0-1 all-time, with a 4-1-0-1 mark at home. Dating back to last season, the IceHogs have won seven straight over the Wild, outscoring them 33-17.
Iowa is 2-5-1-0 on the road this season, having been outscored 27-21 by the home teams. The Wild is coming off a 2-1 shootout win at home over Milwaukee on Sunday. Rockford is 7-2-0-0 at home, while outscoring the visitors 30-24 at the BMO Harris Bank Center. The IceHogs are 8-2-0-0 over the last ten games and have four straight victories heading into Wednesday’s action. Iowa is 3-6-1-0 over the last ten games, but the team has points in four of the last six games. The Hogs are coming off 3-0 win at Chicago on Sunday. The team has 12 wins over the last 14 games (12-2-0-0).
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Rockford 11/26 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Texas 11/29 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at San Antonio 11/30 4:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Charlotte 12/6 6:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Charlotte 12/8 6:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
11.19.14 Add – G Josh Harding (assigned by Minnesota- NHL)
11.20.14 Delete – F Ryan Walters (assigned to Alaska – ECHL)
11.23.14 Add – G John Curry (recalled from Quad City – ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 in a shootout in front of 4,117 fans at Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday night. Iowa goalie John Curry made 33 saves on 34 shots in regulation and stopped all three shootout attempts to record his first win of the season. Forward Zack Phillips scored the lone shootout goal, lifting Iowa to its first win at home over Milwaukee. Wild forward Tyler Graovac also found the back of the net in the victory. Forward Austin Watson scored for Milwaukee late in the third period, which sent the game into overtime. Milwaukee goalie Magnus Hellberg stopped 18 of 19 shots in regulation and surrendered one of three shots in the shootout.
Iowa Wild
Through the 18 games of the season, forwards Tyler Graovac, Michael Keranen and Jordan Schroeder are the team’s leading scorers. Graovac is tied for first on the team with six goals and tied for the team lead with nine assists for 15 points. Michael Keranen is tied for second on the team in scoring with 12 points. He is tied for the team lead with nine assists and is second with 12 points. Schroeder is tied for second on the squad with four goals and 12 points in 15 games played. Center Brett Sutter is fourth on the team with ten points in 18 games played off three goals and seven assists. Marc Hagel leads the team with six goals and has nine points in 12 games. Hagel has five points in his last six games, but has missed time recently with an injury.
Goalies Johan Gustafsson, John Curry and Josh Harding man the Iowa Wild crease. Johan Gustafsson is 4-8-1-0 with a 3.49 GAA and a .894 SV %. Harding has yet to make his AHL season debut. Curry is 1-4-0 with a 3.16 GAA and a .901 SV%.
Iowa’s power play is ranked 13th at 16.9%, while the penalty kill sits 30th at 77.6%.
Notables –
· Iowa center Tyler Graovac has a point in six straight games.
Rockford IceHogs
In the first 19 games of this season, forwards Mark McNeill and Peter Regin lead the Rockford IceHogs in points. McNeill leads the team with nine goals and has accumulated seven assists for 16 points in 15 games played. Regin has suited up 16 times for Rockford, scoring four times and totaling 14 points. Defenseman TJ Brennan is third on the team with nine assists and 13 points in 19 games played. Brennan was the AHL’s leading scorer among defenseman in 2013-14 and was awarded the Eddie Shore trophy for league’s most outstanding defenseman. Phillip Denault was fourth on the team with seven assists and ten points in 14 games played, but has been recalled to Chicago. Rookie forward Teuvo Teravainen is also among the team leaders with ten points in 17 games played.
Playing in nine games this season for Rockford, goalie Michael Leighton (5-2-1) is posting a 2.32 GAA and a .917 SV%. Goalie Scott Darling (7-2-0) is posting a 1.97 GAA and .932 SV% in nine games played for the IceHogs this year.
Rockford’s power play is ranked 10th at 18.3%, while the penalty kill sits 8th at 85.9%.