IOWA DEFEATS CLEVELAND 3-1 AHEAD OF AHL ALL-STAR BREAK
Jan 27, 2018Wild goaltender Niklas Svedberg earned his fourth consecutive win
CLEVELAND, OHIO – Iowa Wild (21-13-7-3; 52 points) defeated Cleveland Monsters (13-22-4-3; 33 pts.) 3-1 at Quicken Loans Arena Saturday night in the teams’ final game before the AHL All-Star Classic. Wild goaltender Niklas Svedberg (30 saves) earned his fourth consecutive win in the victory.
Wild defenseman Ryan Murphy opened the scoring at 13:31 of the first period for his second goal of the season. Murphy carried the puck through the middle of the ice and into Cleveland’s defensive zone. Working his way to the top of the right circle, Murphy ripped a shot on net and beat Monsters goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (23 saves) to give Iowa a 1-0 lead. Earning assists on the tally were forward Kyle Rau and defenseman Nick Seeler.
At the end of the opening stanza, Iowa led 1-0 while Cleveland outshot the Wild 13-6.
An eventful second period saw Seeler double the Wild’s lead, and his goal total, at 8:45 in the middle frame. Seeler, all alone at the top of the circles, one-timed a pass from Murphy and rocketed the puck past Korpisalo, giving the Wild a 2-0 lead on his second goal in the last seven games. Forward Gerry Mayhew registered the secondary assist on the play.
Fifteen seconds later, forward Joel Eriksson Ek intercepted a clearing attempt by Korpisalo and brought the puck behind the net. With a quick backhand pass, Eriksson Ek hit Rau on the doorstep and he roofed a shot to take a 3-0 lead. Eriksson Ek’s assist was his eighth point in as many games for the Wild this season.
Cleveland broke Svedberg’s shutout bid with its lone goal of the game at 10:19 in the second period. Cleveland forward Alex Broadhurst managed to beat Svedberg with a shot, with forwards Zac Dalpe and Terry Broadhurst recording assists on the tally.
After two periods, Iowa held a 3-1 led and Cleveland had a 21-17 shot advantage.
After a scoreless third period, the final horn sounded and the Wild recorded the team’s third consecutive victory, earning points in five of its last six games overall. With just one game remaining between the two teams, Iowa holds a 6-0-1-0 record against Cleveland this season, including going 3-0-1-0 at Quicken Loans Arena.
Three players (Murphy, Seeler, Rau) each recorded a goal and an assist in the win. Forward Sam Anas’ point-streak ended at eight games, in which he recorded 11 points (4g, 7a).
Iowa returns to action on Feb. 2 in Bakersfield against the Condors. Puck drop is at 9:00 p.m. CT.
The Iowa Wild 2017-18 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.