IOWA FALLS TO ROCKFORD 3-1
Jan 26, 2019-Wild heads into All-Star Break second in the Central Division -
Iowa Wild (24-14-4-3; 55 pts.) headed into the All-Star break in second place in the Central Division after falling to the Rockford IceHogs (19-19-3-5; 46 pts.) by a score of 3-1 Saturday evening.
The two teams were scoreless at the end of the first period but Iowa held a 14-6 shot advantage.
Rockford found the back of the net first as forward Jacob Nilsson scored his fourth goal of the season on the power play at 6:53 in the second period. Inside the right faceoff circle, Nilsson caught a dribbler from forward Anthony Louis and one-timed it past goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (26 saves). Defenseman Lucas Carlsson also notched an assist on the play.
Wild defenseman Louie Belpedio knotted things up at 1-1 with 21 seconds remaining in the middle stanza. Forward Matt Read carried the puck into the zone before it was picked up by forward Mason Shaw, who toe-dragged a Rockford defender before shuttling the puck to Belpedio. Belpedio stepped up into the slot and lasered a shot over the shoulder of goaltender Anton Forsberg (33 saves) for his fourth of the season.
At the end of the second period, the score was tied 1-1 with Iowa outshooting the home squad 29-19.
Rockford’s Terry Broadhurst recorded his fourth goal of the season to give the home team a 2-1 lead at 1:44 in the third period. At the left faceoff dot, Broadhurst wristed a shot that beat Kahkonen short side. Earning assist on the play was forward Alexandre Fortin and defenseman Josh McArdle.
The IceHogs clinched the game with an empty net goal from Luke Johnson, giving Rockford the 3-1 victory heading into the All-Star Classic break. The goal was Johnson’s seventh of the season, while forward Dylan Sikura notched his 14th of the season and Forsberg, his first.
Iowa finished the game outshooting the IceHogs 34-29. Iowa went 0-for-1 on both the power play and the penalty kill.
Coach Tim Army, forward Cal O’Reilly and Kahkonen will all represent the Wild at the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic, taking place Jan. 27-28. Fans can tune into the Skills Competition Sunday evening and the 3-on-3 Tournament Monday night. Both events can be seen on AHLTV for free with an account or on NHL Network.