IOWA MOVES INTO SECOND PLACE WITH 5-3 WIN AGAINST MILWAUKEE
Jan 20, 2018Ferraro, O’Reilly each register four points in the win
DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa Wild (19-13-7-3; 48 points) defeated Milwaukee Admirals (21-16-4-0; 46 pts.) 5-3 at Wells Fargo Arena Saturday night in front of 11,302 fans, moving into second place in the Central Division with the victory.
In the win, Wild forwards Landon Ferraro and Cal O’Reilly each recorded a four-point game, tying the most points in a contest in franchise history.
Ferraro took part in the first four scores for the Wild, beginning with a goal at 9:07 in the first period. Driving to the net, Ferraro redirected a shot from winger Sam Anas past Admirals goaltender Anders Lindback (23 saves) for the tally. Defenseman Zach Palmquist also earned an assist on the goal and the Wild took a 1-0 lead.
Milwaukee answered with a goal from forward Trevor Mingoia at 10:45 in the opening frame. Mingoia caught a cross-ice pass from forward Jimmy Oligny and beat Niklas Svedberg (28 saves) to draw the Admirals even with the Wild at 1-1.
The Admirals made it 2-1 on a short-handed, breakaway goal from forward Harry Zolnierczyk at 12:18 in the first period. Zolnierczyk burst past the Wild defense, went forehand-backhand against Svedberg and put the puck into the back of the net.
At the end of the first period, Milwaukee held a 2-1 goal advantage and a 10-9 shot advantage.
Wild forward Cal O’Reilly registered his first of four consecutive points with a redirection goal at 5:22 in the second period. Ferraro sent a pass to defenseman Alex Grant, who fired a slap pass towards O’Reilly. O’Reilly, in the high slot, deflected the shot past Lindback to make it 2-2.
Iowa regained the lead at 17:18 in the second stanza with Ferraro’s second goal of the game. Breaking in on a 2-on-1, Ferraro received a pass from forward Christoph Bertschy and went in on Lindback alone. Ferraro chipped the puck into the top right corner and gave the Wild the 3-2 lead. O’Reilly recorded the secondary assist.
Defenseman Brennan Menell recorded the Wild’s third goal of the period and fourth of the game with 45 seconds left in the second. Menell corralled a puck in the slot and rifled it on net, going top-shelf for his sixth goal of the season and the 4-2 lead. Both Ferraro and O’Reilly earned assists on the play, their fourth and third points of the night, respectively.
After 40 minutes of play, the Wild led 4-2, while the Admirals had a 23-22 shot lead.
Milwaukee forward Bobby Butler cut Iowa’s lead to 4-3 with a goal at 4:13 in the third period. On the power play, Butler had space at the top of the left circle, firing a wrist shot on net, recording his 20th goal of the season.
Iowa brought its lead back to two goals when Grant scored at 10:27 in the final frame. O’Reilly, from behind the net, sent a pass to Grant, who one-timed the pass from the right dot and registered his eighth goal of the season, giving the Wild a 5-3 lead.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Wild earned the 5-3 victory. Ferraro and O’Reilly both recorded four-point nights. Ferraro’s game was his third multi-point night and first four-point contest this season. O’Reilly’s was his second four-point night and his ninth multi-point game of the season. Grant also registered a multi-point effort, his third of the season.
The Wild returns to action against Cleveland Monsters Thursday, Jan. 25 at Quicken Loans Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 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.