GAME PREVIEW - IOWA AT ROCKFORD 10.14.17
Oct 14, 2017Iowa Wild (1-2-0-0, 2 Points) at Rockford IceHogs (1-0-0-0, 2 points)
Iowa hits the road for the first time this season after wrapping up a three-game home stand on Friday with a 3-0 win over visiting Ontario. Iowa’s first road game marks Rockford’s home opener. The Hogs have not played since posting a 4-0 victory at Cleveland last Saturday.
The Wild has played the IceHogs more than any other any other team in AHL history with 40 all-time meetings. The two division rivals will collide 12 times in 2017-18. Iowa claimed eight of ten meetings in 2016-17, including a 4-1-0-0 mark at the BMO Harris Bank Center. Rockford leads the historic rivalry with a 23-12-3-2 mark, including an 11-5-2-2 record at home. Iowa is 9-12-0-0 all-time at Rockford. The two teams meet next on Oct. 25 in Des Moines.
Iowa opens the season with six of the first seven games at home. Rockford begins the season with four of its first six games at home.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Rockford 10/14 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Manitoba 10/20 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Manitoba 10/21 7:00 PM CT KKNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Rockford 10/25 7:00 PM CT KKNO / iHeartRadio
at Tucson 10/27 9:05 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
10.13.17: Delete – F Luke Kunin – recalled to Minnesota (NHL)
10.13.17: Add – D Mike Reilly – assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
10.13.17: Add – F Dante Salituro & F Evan Janssen – recalled from Rapid City (ECHL)
10.14.17: Delete – F Zack Mitchell, F Landon Ferraro & Christoph Bertschy – recalled to Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Ontario Reign 3-0 in front of 4,628 fans on Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena. Wild goalie Niklas Svedberg made 27 saves for the shutout and first win of the season. Veteran forward Pat Cannone and rookie defenseman Carson Soucy each tallied a goal and an assist in the win. In his AHL debut, Waterloo, IA native and Reign goalie Cal Petersen made 25 saves in the loss.
Iowa Wild
Veteran forward Pat Cannone leads Iowa in scoring with three goals and four points in the first three outings of the season. Left wing Colton Beck, right wing Gerald Mayhew and defenseman Brennen Mennell are in a tie for second in scoring with three points apiece. Each has a goal and two assists in three games. Rookie defenseman Carson Soucy leads the team with a +5 rating and veteran forward Ryan Malone leads the club with 14 penalty minutes.
Goalie Niklas Svedberg is 1-2-0 with a 2.74 GAA and a .892 SV%. His shutout on Friday night was the seventh of his AHL career, coming in his 100th career AHL start.
Iowa’s power play is mired in a 0-17 slump through the first three games of the season, ranking tied for 26th in the AHL. Iowa is one of five AHL teams still looking for its first power-play goal this season. The Wild penalty kill has gone 15 of 17, which sits 13th in the league at 88.2%.
Notables –
● Iowa has scored six of its nine goals in the third period of play this season and only one in the first period.
● Former Iowa forward Tyler Sikura is on the IceHogs roster.
Rockford IceHogs
The IceHogs have a new head coach in Jeremy Colliton, who replaced Ted Dent (2011-17) over the summer. He comes to the Hogs after four seasons as the bench boss for Mora IK in Sweden, where he posted a 35-4-13 mark in 2016-17.
Left wing Tomas Jurco leads the Hogs in scoring with three points (1g-2a) in one game played. Jurco has played in 114 AHL games with 34 goals and 40 assists for 74 points. In his last eight AHL games, the 24-year old has seven goals and seven assists for 14 points. Rookie left wing and defenseman Ville Pokka are tied for second in scoring with a goal an assist each in one outing. The Icehogs roster has 12 rookies and only five returning players from the 2016-17 squad.
Rockford goalie J.F. Berube posted a 32-save shutout in his only performance this season. Berube spent 2016-17 as a backup for the NY Islanders and last played in the AHL in 2015-16, where he went 4-1-0 with a 1.25 GAA and a .960 SV% for Bridgeport. In 107 AHL appearances, the sixth year pro is 69-29-6 with seven shutouts.
Rockford’s power play is tied for 17th, going 1-for-7 (14.3%) in its only outing this season. The Hogs are tied for first on the penalty kill going a perfect eight for eight (100%).