GAME PREVIEW – IOWA WILD vs. ROCKFORD ICEHOGS
Jan 6, 2019Iowa Wild (20-8-4-3; 47 pts.) vs. Rockford IceHogs (15-15-3-4, 37 pts.)
Completing a home-and-home series, Iowa travels to Rockford take on the IceHogs Sunday afternoon at the BMO Harris Bank Center. This season, Iowa is 4-1-0-0 against the IceHogs, going 2-0-0-0 in Rockford. Iowa ranks first in the Central Division and third overall in the AHL with 45 points, while Rockford is in sixth place in the Central with 37 points.
Last Game
The Wild strengthened its hold on first place in the Central with a 3-0 shutout against the IceHogs Friday evening, extending its winning streak against Rockford to three games. Goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen made 26 saves in the win, while forwards Colton Beck, Will Bitten and Justin Kloos all recorded goals in the contest.
WILD Notables
- Against the IceHogs Friday, goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen set a franchise record with his fifth shutout, the most in a single season for an Iowa netminder.
- Forward Colton Beck set a new career-high with 11 goals in a season, doing so in 37 fewer games.
- The Wild currently have a five-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the AHL, and have outscored opponents 16-3 during that stretch.
- Forward Joel Eriksson Ek currently has a four-game point streak and an eight-game point streak dating back to last season.
ICEHOGS Notables
- Rockford is winless in its last six contests, going 0-5-1-0 during that stretch.
- Rockford promoted development coach Anders Sorensen to assistant coach on Jan. 4.
- Chicago Blackhawks assigned forwards Andreas Martinsen and Dylan Sikura to Rockford on Jan. 5.
- Sikura leads all AHL rookies with four game-winning goals.
The Iowa Wild 2018-19 season is presented by Mercy Medical Center and runs from October through April. For more information, please contact the Wild office by calling 515-564-8700 or by visiting www.iowawild.com.