GRIFFINS TAKE DOWN WILD 5-1
Nov 25, 2015Wild Continues Six-Game Road Trip in Charlotte on Saturday
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Iowa Wild (3-15-1-2, 9 points) were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins (6-8-0-1, 13 points) 5-1 in front of 8,589 fans on Wednesday at Van Andel Arena. Four different Griffins posted multi-point games, led by forward Mitch Callahan’s three points. Center Andy Miele and right wing Mark Zengerle added three assists, and Tomas Jurco scored twice in Grand Rapids’ ninth straight victory over Iowa. Grand Rapids goalie Tom McCollum (2-6-0) stopped 28 of 29 shots for his team’s fourth straight win. Iowa forward Grayson Downing scored his team’s lone goal, extending his points streak to five straight games. Iowa goalie Leland Irving (2-7-2) took the loss and was pulled after making 23 saves through two periods. The Iowa defeat extended the team’s record-setting winless skid to 11 games (0-10-0-1). The Wild travels to Charlotte for a 6 p.m. (CT) puck drop with the Checkers on Saturday.
The Griffins claimed a 1-0 lead with the only goal of the first period. While holding the puck in the Iowa zone, defenseman Ryan Sproul rifled a cross-ice pass for winger Tomas Jurco. The Griffins forward potted his fourth goal in as many games off the back-door feed. Fellow defender Brain Lashoff added an assist on the first goal of the evening at 13:16 of the period.
The Griffins expanded their lead to 2-0 at 9:03 of the middle frame. Forward Mark Zengerle found defenseman Nathan Paetsch cross ice, at the top of the left-wing circle in the Iowa zone. Paetsch sent a one-timer past Irving for his second goal of the year. Center Andy Miele added the second assist on the play. The Griffins made it 3-0 at 14:18 of the period off Mitch Callahan’s third goal of the season. Miele and Zengerle each picked up an assist on Callahan’s slap shot, which beat Irving from the top of the circle. The Griffins closed out the second period with a power-play goal by Jurco, his second goal of the night at 19:31. Forward Andreas Athanasiou found Callahan down low, to the left of Irving. Callahan slipped a back-door feed to Jurco, who scored his fifth goal of the season for the 4-0 lead.
The Wild pulled goalie Leland Irving after two periods, placing Jeremy Smith in net for the third. Iowa took advantage of Griffins goalie Tom McCollum misplaying a puck at 5:43 of the third period. Zack Mitchell raced in and poked the puck free, away from a sliding McCollum. Mitchell then tracked down the puck and set up Grayson Downing for the tally. Downing’s fifth goal of the season extended his points streak to five straight games. Callahan made it 5-1 with an empty-net goal at 18:19 of the third. Miele and Zengerle had the assist on the tally.
The Wild continues a six-game road trip on Saturday in Charlotte, making an additional stop in Lake Erie before returning home on Tuesday, Dec. 8 for a game against the Chicago Wolves. Kids (12 and under) eat free on Tuesday with a “Crash’s Kids Meal” courtesy of 96.5 Country of iHeartMedia Des Moines. The meal includes one hot dog, one soda, one popcorn, one fruit snack, and one Iowa Wild prize. It’s also a Taco Tuesday, where each fan receives a coupon for a free taco from Taco John’s upon entering the arena.
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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