IOWA NOTCHES THIRD STRAIGHT WIN IN 4-3 OVERTIME VICTORY AGAINST CHICAGO
Nov 17, 2018-Iowa maintains first place in the Central with the win-
DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa Wild (11-4-1-0; 23 pts.) extended its winning streak to three games when the team defeated the Chicago Wolves (8-5-1-1; 18 pts.) by a score of 4-3 in overtime.
At nearly the halfway mark in the overtime period, the Wild broke into the offensive zone on an odd-man rush. On the left half-boards, forward Cal O’Reilly drew the defenders away from the slot, where forward Gerry Fitzgerald filled the space. O’Reilly then hit Fitzgerald with a pass, giving him an open look on goaltender Max Lagace (23 saves). Fitzgerald ripped a shot over Lagace’s glove, securing the 4-3 victory for the Wild and giving the team four out of a possible four points on the weekend.
Chicago opened the scoring on a power-play goal from forward Brandon Pirri at 17:02 in the first period. Forward Gage Quinney took a shot that was blocked by an Iowa Wild defender, but the loose puck found Pirri in the slot. Pirri then wristed a shot over the shoulder of Andrew Hammond (29 saves), giving the Wolves a 1-0 lead. Forward Daniel Carr notched his 12th assist of the season on the play.
After 20 minutes, Chicago led 1-0 while outshooting Iowa 7-6.
Iowa tied it up at by a goal from forward Gerry Mayhew, his second goal in as many games. On the power play, forward Sam Anas passed the puck to forward Kyle Rau on the post left of Lagace. Rau immediately kicked the puck back out to Mayhew in the slot, who roofed the puck over Lagace’s glove. Mayhew’s goal came at 6:45 in the second period.
At 15:55 in the second period, Iowa took the lead when Rau added a goal to his assist for his second consecutive multi-point game. While on the power play, the Wild buzzed around Lagace’s net before a loose puck caused a scramble in the crease. Rau knocked the puck across the goal line, giving the Wild a 2-1 lead, with Anas and O’Reilly earning the helpers on the goal.
At the end of the second period, Iowa held a 2-1 scoring lead and a 22-14 shot advantage.
Forward Reid Duke tied the game at 2-2 with a power-play goal at 3:51 in the third period. On the man advantage, Duke took a shot from the right faceoff circle that bounced off a Wild defender’s stick before sneaking through Hammond’s five-hole for the score. Forward T.J. Tynan and defenseman Nic Hague recorded assists on the play.
Just 39 seconds later forward Dmitry Sokolov gave the Wild the lead once again. Forward Mitch McLain won a board battle and shuttled the puck up to Sokolov. He curled at the top of the left circle and lasered a shot on net. Sokolov’s shot bounced off a body, past Lagace and into the back of the net to put the game at 4-3. With his assist, McLain extended his point streak to five games, the longest stretch of his career.
Pirri notched his second goal of the game, tying things up at 3-3 when he rocketed a shot over Hammond’s glove far side at 16:28 in the third period. The goal marked the third power-play goal the Wolves scored in the game.
Chicago outshot Iowa 18-3 in the third period but after Fitzgerald’s overtime tally, Iowa skated away with the 4-3 win. Final shot totals were 32-27 in favor of Chicago.
Rau’s five points in two games is tied for the most in the AHL during the weekend and the win marks the third winning streak of three games or longer for the Wild this season. The Wild’s 11 wins is the second most in the league and 23 points is third overall.
Iowa continues its road trip with a road contest against the Milwaukee Admirals on Wednesday. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m.
The Iowa Wild 2018-19 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.