GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT ROCKFORD ICEHOGS 10.21.15
Oct 21, 2015Rockford IceHogs (1-3-0-0, 2 points) at Iowa Wild (1-2-1-1, 4 points)
Iowa and Rockford meet for the first of 12 meetings on the season. Each team will host six games this season, including the next meeting in Rockford on Oct. 30. The IceHogs visit the Wild for the first of six on Nov. 1. Iowa is coming off a 3-2 OT loss at home to Milwaukee on Tuesday night. The Hogs are coming off a 7-2 loss at home to Texas on Oct. 18. The two teams played eight times in 2014-15, with Rockford taking six of the eight meetings. The Hogs were 3-1-0-0 at home last year against the Wild, outscoring the visitors 15-6. Overall, Rockford is 12-5-0-1 in 18 all-time meetings, including a 6-2-0-1 mark at the BMO Harris Bank Center. Iowa is 6-11-1-0 all-time and 3-5-1-0 in Rockford.
Iowa is 1-1-0-0 on the road this season, splitting a pair of games in Cleveland last weekend. In 2014-15, Iowa was 13-23-1-1 on the road, outscored by the home teams 122-86. After Wednesday, seven of the team’s next eight games are at home. Last year, Rockford was 24-9-4-1 on home ice, outscoring the visitors 121-92. This year the team is winless in two outings at the Metro Center, outscored 12-4. After posting a season-opening win, the Hogs have dropped three straight.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Rockford 10/21 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Texas 10/24 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio/Mediacom 22
Texas 10/25 3:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Rockford 10/30 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Milwaukee 10/31 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
10.20.15 – Delete – G Brody Hoffman – assigned to Quad City (ECHL)
10.12.15: Delete – D Guillaume Gelinas – assigned to Quad City (ECHL)
10.12.15: Delete – F Matthew Neal – released from PTO – returns to Quad City (ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Milwaukee Admirals 3-2 in overtime in front of 3,223 fans at Wells Fargo Arena on Tuesday night. Milwaukee forward Adam Payerl scored at 2:19 of overtime, giving the Admirals a comeback victory. Milwaukee goalie Juuse Saros made 23 saves on 25 shots in the victory – holding the Wild at two goals and allowing the Admirals to score three straight to pick up the first win of the year. Iowa goalie Leland Irving stopped 32 of 35 shots in the loss. Forwards Zack Mitchell and Matt Carey both notched their first goals of the season for the Wild. The Admirals also received goals from centers Fredrick Gaudreau and Vladislav Kamenev.
Iowa Wild
Forward Brady Brassart (2g-2a-4pts) leads the team in points through five games. Seven different skaters are tied for second on the team with two points each. Forward Ruslan Fedotenko and defenseman Gustav Olofsson are tied for the team lead with a pair of assists. Goalie Jeremy Smith (0-2-1) is among the league leaders with 119 saves through three games. He has a 3.28 GAA and a .922 SV%. Leland Irving has made two appearances, going 1-0-1 with a 1.42 GAA and a .958 SV%.
Iowa is 2-for-17 (11.8%) on the power play and 18-for-22 (81.8%) on the penalty kill.
Notables:
· Winger Matt Carey spent the 2014-15 season with the Rockford IceHogs. He posted five points in six games against Iowa last year.
· Former Wild Captain (13-14) Jake Dowell plays for the Rockford IceHogs. He played against Iowa last year as a member of the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Rockford IceHogs
Rockford finished second in the Midwest Division last season and made it to the second round of the playoffs before losing to the Grand Rapids Griffins five games. It was the team’s first playoff appearance since the 2009-10 season.
Forwards Tanner Kero (3-1-4) and Jeremy Morin (2-2-4) lead the IceHogs in scoring. Both players are tied for a team leading four points. Kero leads the team in goals with three, and Morin leads the team in assists with two. Center Marko Dano is also among the team leaders with a pair of assists.
Rockford has already seen three goaltenders make appearances as it goes into the fifth game of the season. Michael Leighton (1-2-0) leads the group in playing time, posting a 4.49 GAA and .875 SV% in three games. Leighton has appeared in 122 NHL games, including 14 playoff games with the Philadelphia Flyers in their Stanley Cup Finals run in 2009-10. Mark Visentin (0-1-0) and Mac Carruth (0-0-0) have also appeared in net for the IceHogs, making 23 and 14 saves respectively.
Rockford is 1-for-16 (6.3%) on the power play and 16-for-23 (69.6%) on the penalty kill.