WILD SECOND PERIOD SENDS MANITOBA PAST IOWA 4-3
Dec 31, 2015WILD SECOND PERIOD SENDS MANITOBA PAST IOWA 4-3
Same Teams Meet Again in Winnipeg on New Year’s Day at 7 PM
WINNIPEG, MB – The Iowa Wild (7-23-2-3, 19 points) were defeated by the Manitoba Moose (9-16-1-2, 21 points) 4-3 in front of 13,774 fans at the MTS Centre on Thursday night. Manitoba broke out with four goals in the second period and held off a late charge from Iowa to win the first meeting of the season between the two clubs. Four different Moose skaters scored in the middle frame, as the two clubs combined for six goals in the period. The Wild tied the game with a pair of goals late in the second, but Scott Kosmachuk put Manitoba in front roughly two minutes later with the eventual game-winning goal. Moose goalie Eric Comrie (7-8-2) turned aside 43 of an Iowa season-high 44 shots. Wild goalie Jeremy Smith (3-11-2) suffered the loss, finishing with 29 saves. Iowa defenseman Mike Reilly and forward Christoph Bertschy each had a pair of assist in the defeat. Defenseman Dylan Labbe, as well as forwards Jordan Schroeder and Grayson Downing, each scored for the Wild. Iowa remains in Manitoba for rematch with the Moose on Jan. 1 at 7 P.M.
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For the fourth straight game, Iowa struck for the game’s opening goal at 16:21 of the first period. Defenseman Dylan Labbe followed a shot and snapped the rebound past a sprawling Eric Comrie. Despite the goal, Comrie was sharp, stopping 16 shots in the first period. Labbe’s second goal of the season gave Iowa a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Manitoba took advantage of back-to-back Iowa penalties, and executed on both, starting with a 5-on-3 power-play goal by Josh Morrisey at 5:30 of the second period. Forward Nic Petan slipped a pass to the slot for the Moose defenseman and he snapped wrist shot past Jeremy Smith for his second goal of the year. Defenseman Brenden Kichon added an assist on his club’s first goal of the evening. The Moose claimed a 2-1 lead after converting a 5-on-4 power-play goal by Chris De Leo. Petan played the puck up high to Morrisey, who wristed the puck to the Iowa net. De Leo redirected the shot past Smith at 6:06 for his eighth goal of the year. The Moose scored its third straight tally at 7:24 - over a 1:54-span. Manitoba defenseman Julian Melchiori started a rush with a breakout pass to Scott Kosmachuk. He found Austin Brassard in the Wild zone. Brassard beat Smith with a wrist shot for his sixth goal of the year and a 3-1 Moose lead.
Iowa surged back with a pair of goals late in the second period over a 4:18-span. Defenseman Mike Reilly and right wing Christoph Bertschy worked the puck into the Moose zone. Bertschy found Jordan Schroeder in the Moose zone and the Wild forward beat Comrie for his seventh goal of the season, trimming the deficit to 3-2 at 10:13 of the second period. Iowa scored on the power play at 14:31, tying the game 3-3 as Grayson Downing scored his 10th goal of the year. Once again, Bertschy and Reilly set up the goal, finishing with Bertschy finding Downing to the right of the Moose net. Downing jammed at his own rebound, beating Comrie for the 3-3 score. The Moose capped off its four-goal period with a tally at 16:23 of the middle frame. Kosmachuk carried the puck in on the left-wing side and used a Wild defender as a screen, beating Smith high on the glove side. His fifth goal of the season was set up by defensemen Peter Stoykewych and Jan Kostalek for the 4-3 lead.
The Wild concludes a two-game set at Manitoba and Jan. 1. The team heads to Milwaukee on Jan. 9 before returning home on Sunday, Jan. 10 for a game against the Rockford IceHogs. Subway and Star 102.5 Combo pack is available for purchase for Sunday’s game. The combo pack includes one ticket, one hot dog, one soda, and one Subway coupon for $12.
The Wild hosts a postgame concert following its’ game against the San Jose Barracuda on Jan. 16. The concert is headlined by country star, CAM. Cam’s song “Burning House” is a Grammy nominee for “Best Country Solo Performance” of the year. The concert is sponsored by NASH FM, NASH ICON, Tree Town Festival, Jim Beam Apple and Gregg Young Chevrolet in Norwalk. Additional ticket packages and passes are available for purchase.
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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