IOWA FALLS 4-3 IN THE SHOOTOUT TO GRAND RAPIDS
Jan 22, 2020-Forward Gerry Mayhew breaks franchise record for goals in a single season in the loss-
Iowa Wild (24-14-3-3; 54 pts.) fell to the Grand Rapids Griffins (19-19-2-4; 44 pts.) by a score of 4-3 in the shootout Wednesday night.
Wild forward Gerry Mayhew needed just four minutes to set a new franchise record for goals in a single season with his 28th of the year, breaking the record he set last season. Forward Sam Anas found Mayhew in the slot and he snapped a shot between the legs of goaltender Pat Nagle (27 saves) for the record-breaking score to give the Wild a 1-0 lead while on the power play. Defenseman Brennan Menell also earned an assist on the play.
Grand Rapids evened the game at 1-1 at 16:25 in the first period as forward Tyler Spezia scored his fourth goal of the season. After catching a pass from forward Dominik Shine, he wristed a shot over the glove of goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (43 saves) for the score.
At the end of the first period, the score was tied 1-1 and Grand Rapids had a 16-13 shot advantage.
Just 12 seconds into the second period, Grand Rapids took a 2-1 lead. Menell mishandled the puck along the boards and it popped right out to forward Dominic Turgeon. He skated through the slot and then tucked the puck around Kahkonen’s pads and into the net for the unassisted shorthanded tally.
Through 40 minutes of play, the Griffins led 2-1 with a 31-18 shot lead.
Anas recorded his second point of the contest at 5:45 in the third period with a power-play tally to knot the game at 2-2. After receiving a pass from forward Luke Johnson, Anas moved to the bottom of the left faceoff circle and took a shot that snuck through Nagle and across the goal line. Menell was credited with the secondary assist on the play, his 100th career point with Iowa.
Mayhew extended his AHL lead in goals to 29 with his second of the contest at 16:18 in the third period to give Iowa the 3-2 lead. Defenseman Matt Bartkowski sent a pass to Mayhew at the blueline, where he carved into the slot before lasering a shot over Nagle’s glove for the tally.
Grand Rapids tied the game at 3-3 with 57 seconds remaining in regulation as forward Chris Terry scored his 17th goal of the season. Standing below the goal line, Terry bounced a shot off the back of Kahkonen and into the net, forcing the game to overtime.
With neither team scoring in the extra frame, the Wild and Griffins headed to the shootout. Forward Dmitry Sokolov scored in the third round for Iowa, but the home side got goals from Terry and forward Matt Puempel to secure the extra point.
Final shot totals favored Grand Rapids 47-30. Iowa went 2-for-5 on the power play and 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.
Despite the loss, Iowa extended its point streak against Grand Rapids at Van Andel Arena to eight games. With their two points tonight, Mayhew and Anas moved into second place in the AHL in points with 45 apiece.
Iowa returns home to start a nine-game homestand at Wells Fargo Arena. Puck drop Friday night against the Manitoba Moose is at 7:00 p.m.
The Iowa Wild 2019-20 regular season is presented by MercyOne Des Moines 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.
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