GAME PREVIEW - HAMILTON BULLDOGS AT IOWA WILD 1.30.15
Jan 30, 2015MEDIA KIT - HERE
Hamilton Bulldogs (20-17-6-0, 46 points) at Iowa Wild (15-27-1-1, 32 points)
Iowa continues a stretch of three straight at home with Hamilton on Friday and Saturday. Iowa and Hamilton meet for the first time this season. They will meet four times this year, including the next game on Jan. 31 in Des Moines. The two clubs only met twice in 2013-14, splitting the season series with the home team taking each decision.
Iowa is 8-13-0-0 at home this season, having been outscored 64-46 by the visiting teams. The Wild is coming off a 6-0 defeat at home to Grand Rapids on Thursday. Iowa has dropped four straight, including three one-goal decisions. The Wild is 3-7-0-0 over the last 10 games, while the Bulldogs are 5-4-1-0. Hamilton is 9-7-3-0 on the road, outscoring the home teams 52-50. The Griffins are coming off a 4-3 overtime win at Toronto on Friday – the team’s fourth straight.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Hamilton 1/30 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Hamilton 1/31 12:30 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Adirondack 2/3 6:30 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Hamilton 2/6 6:30 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Toronto 2/7 2:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
1.22.15 – Add – D Justin Falk (assigned by Minnesota – NHL)
1.27.15 – Add – G Darcy Kuemper (assigned by Minnesota – NHL – Conditioning)
1.28.15 – Add – F Raphael Bussieres (recalled from Alaska – ECHL)
1.29.15 – Delete – D Matt Dumba (recalled by Minnesota – NHL)
1.29.15 – Add – D Stu Bickel (assigned by Minnesota – NHL)
1.29.15 – Delete – G Johan Gustafsson (assigned to Alaska – ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins 6-0 in front of 3,408 fans on Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena. Right wing Teemu Pulkkinen scored three power-play goals to complete the hat trick and tallied an assist for four points. Grand Rapids goalie Jared Coreau made 38 saves in the victory, recording his second shutout this season. Forwards Anthony Mantha, Jeff Hoggan and Landon Ferraro also scored for the Griffins. Iowa Goalie Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves on 28 shots and took the loss in two periods of work. Iowa goalie John Curry came in for relief and stopped nine of 10 shots in the defeat.
Iowa Wild
Through 44 games this season, forwards Michael Keranen and Tyler Graovac are the team’s leading scorers. Graovac leads the team in goals with 15 tallies and is first with 31 points in 41 games. Keranen is second on the team in scoring with 28 points and is first with 22 assists in 43 games. Forward Jordan Schroeder is third on the club in points with 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points in 33 games played. Right wing Marc Hagel is fourth among active skaters with a career-high 22 points in 35 games played. Rookie Zack Mitchell is fourth among active skaters with 12 goals and 21 points in 44 games played. Defenseman Jon Blum is the leader in points from the blueline. He has five goals and 18 points in 34 games played. Veteran center Brett Sutter is also among the team leaders with 16 points in 40 games played.
Goalies Darcy Kuemper, John Curry and Josh Harding (injured) man the Iowa Wild crease. Harding is 0-1-1 with a 3.37 GAA and a .920 SV%. John Curry is 8-9-0 with a 2.71 GAA and a 0.919 SV%. Darcy Kuemper is 0-1-0 with a 7.50 GAA and a .821 SV %.
Iowa’s power play is ranked 18th at 15.7%, while the penalty kill sits 30th at 76.7%.
Notables –
· Defenseman Danny Syvret played in his 600th AHL game on Thursday.
· Forward Ruslan Fedotenko made his Iowa debut at home on Thursday.
· Hamilton forward Jake Dowell was the Captain of the Iowa Wild in 2013-14.
Hamilton Bulldogs
Through the first 43 games this season, rookie forward Charles Hudon leads the Hamilton Bulldogs in scoring with 11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points. This mark leads all rookies and is eighth in the AHL. Forward T.J. Hensick is second on the Bulldogs in scoring, tallying 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points in 43 games. The eight-year hockey professional has scored three points in his last five games. Forwards Sven Andrighetto and Daniel Carr are tied for third on the team in points with 19. Andrighetto has found the back of the net 10 times and accumulated nine assists in 27 games. Suiting up in 43 games this year, Carr holds nine goals and 10 assists. He is also tied with Hensick for first on the team in shots on goal with 101. In 32 games, forward Drayson Bowman is fourth on the team in scoring off seven goals and nine assists for 16 points. Defenseman Davis Drewiske leads all Hamilton blueliners with 14 points in 43 games played.
Playing in 25 games this year, rookie goalie Mike Condon (13-9-3) is posting a 2.15 GAA and a 0.929 SV%. Goalie Joey MacDonald (6-7-3) is posting a 2.96 GAA and a 0.902 SV% in 16 games played.
Hamilton’s power play is ranked 26th in AHL at 12.3%, while its penalty kill is sixth at 86.3%.