GAME PREVIEW: IOWA WILD AT ROCKFORD ICEHOGS

Dec 15, 2023

Iowa Wild (10-11-1-1; 22 pts.) at Rockford IceHogs (9-10-2-0; 20 pts.) 

The Iowa Wild travel to BMO Center to face the Rockford IceHogs on Friday at 7 p.m. 

ALL-TIME SERIES 

All-Time Iowa Wild Record: 54-40-6-5 (28-23-1-1 at Wells Fargo Arena, 26-17-5-4 at Rockford) 

Last Time: Iowa took a 6-1 win over Rockford at Wells Fargo Arena on Dec. 5... Six different Wild skaters scored in the win... Iowa went 2-for-7 on the power play and successfully killed off five Rockford power play opportunities... Vinni Lettieri also added a shorthanded goal in the third period... Jesper Wallstedt saved 30-of-31 shots  

2022-23: Iowa went 7-3-1-1 against Rockford in 2022-23... Seven games went to overtime, with Iowa taking three overtime wins and two shootout victories... The Wild scored the first goal in nine of the 12 matchups 

TEAM NOTES 

CLOSE QUARTERS: Iowa and Rockford rank third and fourth respectively in the Central Division Standings... The Wild sit at 11th in the Western Conference while Rockford is one spot behind... Iowa and Rockford rank 23rd and 24th in the overall league standings... The two teams finished tied in points (79) at the end of the 2022-23 season 

SCORING FIRST: Scoring first has been key for Iowa in 2023-24... The Wild are 8-0-0-0 when scoring first and 2-11-1-1 when allowing the opening goal 

THREE OR FEWER: Iowa’s goaltenders have not allowed more than three goals in 14 straight games... The Wild are 7-6-0-1 over that span... Iowa is undefeated in the seven games in which the team has scored four or more goals this season 

MR. 300 

• Andy Welinski enters the weekend series having played 299 AHL games 

• Welinski posted three assists in 14 games for the IceHogs during the 2022-23 season 

• He has recorded six points (3-3=6) through 15 games with Iowa in 2023-24 

ROAD TO THE SHOW 

• The Minnesota Wild recalled forward Vinni Lettieri and defensemen Daemon Hunt and Dakota Mermis on Wednesday 

• Each of the three players, along with Jujhar Khaira and Sammy Walker, have previously skated with Minnesota this season 

• Other Iowa alumni on Minnesota’s roster include Matt Boldy, Connor Dewar, Brandon Duhaime, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Marco Rossi 

For more information on Iowa Wild hockey, please visit www.iowawild.com. Fans can purchase single-game tickets through the team’s website at www.iowawild.com. Group tickets (10 or more), suites, Wild 365 memberships or premium tickets can be purchased by contacting the Iowa Wild Ticket Department at 515-564-8700 or tickets@iowawild.com. Season tickets for 2023-24 are on sale now. Fans can purchase season tickets for the upcoming season at https://www.iowawild.com/wild-365. 

Visit http://www.iowawild.com/pressbox for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, multimedia content, and daily statistics.