GAME PREVIEW - ROCKFORD AT IOWA 10.25.17
Oct 25, 2017Rockford IceHogs (5-1-0-0, 10 points) at Iowa Wild (2-4-0-0, 4 Points)
Iowa welcomes Rockford to Des Moines for the first time this season on Oct. 25. It is the second meeting between the two clubs so far in 2017-18. The IceHogs claimed the first meeting in Rockford with a 7-4 victory over the Wild. Iowa is coming off a split at home with Manitoba, including a 4-2 defeat on Saturday in its last outing. The IceHogs come to town after 5-0 shutout of Hershey in Rockford on Sunday – the team’s third straight win.
The Wild has played the IceHogs more than any other team in AHL history with 41 all-time meetings. The two division rivals collide 11 more times in 2017-18. Rockford leads the season series with a 1-0-0-0 mark. The Hogs also lead the all-time rivalry with a 24-12-3-2 mark, including a 12-7-1-0 mark in Des Moines. Iowa is 8-12-0-0 all-time at home against Rockford and 17-23-1-0 all-time. The two teams meet next on Nov. 9 in Des Moines.
Iowa opens the season with six of the first seven games at home. Rockford plays in Iowa before heading home to meet the Milwaukee Admirals on Oct. 27. Iowa heads to Tucson on Oct. 27 for a pair of games.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Rockford 10/25 7:00 PM CT KKNO / iHeartRadio
at Tucson 10/27 9:05 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Tucson 10/28 9:05 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. San Antonio 11/2 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. San Antonio 11/3 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
10.22.17: Add – F Luke Kunin, F Zack Mitchell & F Cal O’Reilly assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
10.22.17: Delete – D Mike Reilly – recalled to Minnesota (NHL)
10.23.17: Delete – F Justin Kloos, F Luke Kunin – recalled to Minnesota (NHL)
10.24.17: Delete – G Steve Michalek, D Matt Caito – assigned to Rapid City (ECHL)
10.25.17: Add – F Kyle Bonis – signed PTO
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Manitoba Moose 4-2 in front of 5,142 fans on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena. Moose forward Buddy Robinson scored a goal and added two assists to help Manitoba defeat Iowa. Veteran forward Mike Sgarbossa tallied two assists to help Manitoba earn a split on the road. Moose goalie Michael Hutchinson (2-1-0) stopped 24 of 26 shots in the victory. Wild goalie Niklas Svedberg (2-4-0) stopped 23 of 26 shots in the defeat. Forwards Kyle Rau and Colton Beck each scored a goal for Iowa.
Iowa Wild
Left wing Colton Beck leads Iowa in scoring with four goals and six points in the first six outings of the season. Veteran forward Pat Cannone is in second on the team in scoring with three goals and two assists for five points. Rookie defenseman Brennan Menell is in third in scoring with one goal and leads the team in assists with three. Beck, along with rookie defenseman Carson Soucy, lead the team with +4 ratings, while veteran forward Ryan Malone leads the club with 16 penalty minutes.
Goalie Niklas Svedberg is 2-4-0 with a 3.07 GAA and a .895 SV%.
Iowa’s power play is 26th in the league, going 2-for-31 (6.5%). The Wild ranks 14th on the penalty kill, going 28 of 33 (84.8%).
Notables –
● Beck has tied forwards Teemu Pulkinnen and Tyler Graovac for the longest goal-scoring streak in Iowa Wild history with a tally in four straight.
Rockford IceHogs
Center Vinnie Hinostroza leads the team in scoring with eight points (4g-4a) in six games played. Left wings Matthew Highmore and Tomas Jurco are tied for second in scoring with six points apiece. Jurco leads the team in assists with five. Defenseman Ville Pokka leads the team with a +7 rating. Defenseman Viktor Svedberg leads the team with 10 penalty minutes. Highmore leads the team with two power-play goals.
Goalie Jean-Francois Berube is 4-0-0 with a 1.47 GAA and a .951 SV%. He has recorded two shutouts and only allowed six goals in four games played so far this season. Of those six goals, four have come from Iowa.
Rockford’s power play is tied for 7th, going 7-for-30 (23.3%). The Hogs rank 10th on the penalty kill, going 28 of 32 (87.5%).