GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT LAKE ERIE MONSTERS 2.28.15
Feb 28, 2015Iowa Wild (19-37-1-1, 40 points) at Lake Erie Monsters (24-21-5-3, 56 points)
Iowa remains on the road for the second of four straight away from Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa continues its four-game trip with a pair of games in Lake Erie, including last night’s 2-1 Iowa overtime win. It marked the team’s third straight win over Lake Erie. The two teams played to overtime in the previous meeting on Jan. 18, a 4-3 win for the Wild at home. Iowa swept a pair of games in Des Moines on Jan. 17 and 18, outscoring Lake Erie 8-4. The Wild improved to 6-1-0-0 in seven all-time meetings with the Monsters. Iowa is 2-1-0-0 in three visits to Lake Erie, while the Monsters are 1-0-1-1 at home and 1-3-2-1 all-time.
Iowa is 11-18-1-1 on the road this season, having been outscored104-76 by the home teams. The Wild is 2-8-0-0 over the last 10 games, while the Monsters are 4-5-1-0. Lake Erie is 13-11-1-2 at home, outscored by the visitors 81-71. Lake Erie has dropped six of its last nine games.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Lake Erie 2/28 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Texas 3/6 7:30 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at San Antonio 3/7 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Utica 3/15 5:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Charlotte 3/21 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
2.23.15 – Add – D Steve McCarthy (signed PTO)
2.24.15 – Add – F Michael Keranen (assigned by Minnesota – NHL)
2.26.15 – Delete – D Joe Stejskal (released PTO – returns to Gwinnett – ECHL)
2.26.15 – Delete – F Ryan Walters (assigned to Alaska - ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Lake Erie Monsters 2-1 in overtime in front of 9,865 fans on Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena. Wild defenseman Joel Chouinard scored 6:39 into overtime, breaking a 1-1 tie and pushing Iowa past Lake Erie. Iowa goalie John Curry finished with 29 saves on 30 shots for the road win. Wild defenseman Jon Blum also scored, as the team improved to 3-0-0-0 versus the Monsters this season. Lake Erie goalie Calvin Pickard stopped 26 of 28 in the OT defeat.
Iowa Wild
Through 58 games this season, forward Tyler Graovac is the team’s leading scorer. He leads the team in goals with 17 tallies and is first with 38 points in 55 games. Returned on Wednesday, Michael Keranen is second on the team in scoring with 32 points and was first with 23 assists in 53 games. On recall to Minnesota, forward Jordan Schroeder was third on the club in points with 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points in 35 games played. Right wing Marc Hagel is third among active skaters with a career-high 27 points in 49 games played. Rookie Zack Mitchell is fifth among active skaters with 15 goals and 26 points in 58 games played. Defenseman Jon Blum is the leader in points from the blueline. He has nine goals and 26 points in 48 games played. Veteran center Brett Sutter is also among the team leaders with 22 points in 53 games played.
Goalies Johan Gustafsson, 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 9-15-0 with a 2.87 GAA and a 0.911 SV%. Gustafsson is 8-18-0 with a 3.36 GAA and a .898 SV %.
Iowa’s power play is ranked 24th at 15.2%, while the penalty kill sits 30th at 76.4%.
Notables –
· Wild forward Marc Hagel played in his 100th career AHL on Tuesday at home against Grand Rapids. His first six AHL games were with Lake Erie, whom he made his AHL debut for on Apr. 3, 2013 at Toronto. He has 95 games with Iowa.
· Defenseman Jon Blum played in his 100th game with Iowa on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Milwaukee – joining Tyler Graovac and Zack Phillips as the only players to hit the century mark with Iowa. Hagel is next on the list.
Lake Erie Monsters
Through the first 53 games this season, center Joey Hishon is tied for the team lead in scoring with 31 points in 49 games played. Hishon is third on the team with 13 goals and third with 18 assists. Maxim Noreau is tied for first on the Monsters in scoring with eight goals and 22 assists for 30 total points, good enough for ninth best in the AHL among defenseman. Left wing Andrew Agozzino is third on the club with 30 points in 51 games played. He leads the team with 15 goals and 141 shots on goal. Center Colin Smith is fourth on the club with 10 goals and 27 points in 45 games played. Forward Daniel Maggio is second in the AHL with 17 major penalties this season. He leads the Monsters with 151 minutes in penalties in 31 games played. Center Mitchell Heard is also among the team leaders with 85 PIMS in 36 games.
Playing 12 games this season, goalie Sami Aittokallio (5-4-1) is posting a 3.11 GAA and a .899 SV%. Goalie Calvin Pickard gets the bulk of time in net with 29 appearances. He is 14-10-5 with a 2.70 GAA and a .911 SV%. Pickard also has 15 games in the NHL with Colorado. He is 6-6-3 with a 2.18 GAA and a .936 SV% with the Avalanche.
Lake Erie’s power play is ranked at 14th in the AHL at 16.8%, while its penalty kill is ranked 11th at 85.2%.