8,309 SEES WILD FALL IN SEASON OPENER 4-1 TO CHECKERS
Oct 10, 2015PostGame Reactione - WATCH
Same Two Teams Meet Again at 5 PM on Sunday
DES MOINES, IA – The Iowa Wild (0-1-0-0, 0 points) were defeated by the Charlotte Checkers (1-0-0-0, 2 points) 4-1 in front of 8,309 fans at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday night. Checkers forward Brock McGinn scored a pair of goals to lead his team to a season-opening win. Charlotte goalie Drew MacIntyre (1-0-0) made 22 saves in the victory. Iowa defenseman Mike Reilly scored his team’s lone goal, the first of his pro career. Wild goalie Jeremy Smith (0-1-0) stopped 39 of 43 shots in the loss. Iowa hosts Charlotte at 5 P.M. on Sunday at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Checkers raced out to a 2-0 first-period lead. Forward Sergey Tolchinsky put Charlotte on the board 4:57 into the game. Checkers defenseman Tyler Ganly flipped the puck up in the air from the neutral zone as Tolchinsky flew up the right wing. Tolchinsky slipped past a Wild defender and snapped the puck under goalie Jeremy Smith. Just two minutes later, forward Brock McGinn found the back of the net, adding to the Checkers lead. The Wild held the puck in the offensive zone until defenseman Mike Reilly attempted a slap shot from the point and broke his stick. McGinn took the loose puck in the neutral zone and went streaking down the ice on a breakaway. Uncontested, he wristed the puck over Smith’s blocker to give Charlotte a 2-0 lead.
The Wild cut the Checkers lead in half in the second. Rookie defenseman Mike Reilly tallied his first professional goal with 6:49 left in the period. The goal came on the power play with assists from defenseman Gustav Olofsson and forward Zack Mitchell. Reilly played a little give and go with Olofsson before walking the puck to the point, and firing a slap shot under goaltender Drew MacIntyre’s blocker.
McGinn scored his second goal of the night at 9:15 of the third period. He received a pass from forward Zach Boychuk in the high slot and fired a slap shot past Smith to give the Checkers a 3-1 lead. Forward T.J. Hensick closed the scoring for the night with 2:41 left in the game. Hensick took a rebound and hammered it home to give the Checkers a 4-1 win.
The Wild also hosts Charlotte again on Sunday at 5 p.m. Sunday’s game is Kid’s Opening Night and the first 2,500 fans to the game receive an Iowa Wild poster schedule. After two road games in Cleveland versus Lake Erie on Oct. 16 and 17, Iowa returns home to host Milwaukee at 7 P.M. on Tuesday Oct. 20 at Wells Fargo Arena. For every Tuesday Night home game, all Kids (12 and Under) eat for FREE - including1 hot dog, 1 soda, 1 popcorn, 1 fruit snack and a Wild prize.
Fans may purchase single-game tickets multiple ways, either through the team's website – www.Iowawild.com, the Wells Fargo Arena box office or participating Hy-Vee food stores. Tickets are available online at www.Iowawild.com under the single game tickets tab. The Wells Fargo Arena box office is open Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and closed on Sunday. For Saturday game days, the box office will open at 10 a.m. For Sunday game days the box office will open at 12 p.m. Fans may also purchase tickets by calling 1-844-55-HYVEE or by visiting participating Hy-Vee food stores locations in the greater Des Moines area. Those interested may also visit www.hy-veetix.com. Fans interested in buying full season, or smaller season packages may call the Iowa Wild front office at 515-564-8700.
The Iowa Wild 2015-16 season is presented by Mercy Medical Center, it runs from October through April. Fans may purchase seats to see any of the team’s 38 regular season home games at Wells Fargo Arena. Season tickets to see the Wild play its 2015-16 season at Wells Fargo Arena start at just $9 per game. For more information on tickets, including ticket plans and group seating, please contact the Wild ticket office by calling 515-564-8700 or go to www.iowawild.com.
Follow the Iowa Wild on Twitter @IAWILD or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iawild.
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