STAAL SCORES OVERTIME WINNER AS WILD DEFEAT WOLVES, 3-2
Jan 15, 2022
DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Wild (14-13-2-2; 32 pts.) beat the Chicago Wolves (23-6-2-1; 49 pts.) 3-2 in overtime at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, Jan. 15. Wild forward Eric Staal’s game-winning goal in overtime marked his second goal in as many nights. Iowa forward Kyle Rau scored his 72nd goal as a member of the Wild, placing him in a tie with former Iowa forward Sam Anas for the second-most goals scored in franchise history.
Chicago outshot Iowa 11-7 in the first period but no goals were scored in the stanza.
In the second period, Wild forward Nick Swaney made a slick move at the Wolves' blue line and fed Rau at the left post. Rau finished the chance to give Iowa a 1-0 lead at 8:43 of the second period. Swaney and Iowa defenseman Brenden Miller recorded assists on the play.
The Wild carried a 1-0 lead into the second intermission. Iowa outshot Chicago 15-9 in the second period. Shots through two periods were 22-20 in favor of the Wild.
Chicago forward Stefan Noesen beat Wild goaltender Hunter Jones (27 saves) at 14:32 of the third period to tie the game at one goal apiece.
Shortly thereafter, Wolves forward David Gust scored to give Chicago a 2-1 lead at 15:58 of the third period.
Wild forward Marco Rossi beat Wolves goaltender Alex Lyon (26 saves) on a rebound chance created by a shot off the stick of Iowa forward Mitchell Chaffee at 16:29 of the third period. His tally tied the game, 2-2. Chaffee was credited with the lone assist on Rossi’s goal.
Both teams headed into overtime tied 2-2. Shots in the third period were 9-6 in favor of Chicago. The Wolves outshot the Wild 29-28 in regulation.
At 1:16 of the overtime period, Wild forward Eric Staal entered the Wolves zone on a 2-on-1 chance with Wild forward Adam Beckman. Staal patiently moved into the slot and beat Lyon with a wrist shot to give Iowa a 3-2 overtime victory.
Iowa outshot Chicago 1-0 in overtime but both teams recorded 29 shots on the night.
The Wild were 0-for-3 on the power play and the Wolves did not have a power play chance in the game.
Up next, Iowa plays the Milwaukee Admirals at Wells Fargo Arena on Monday, Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. CT.
Iowa Wild hockey is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.iowawild.com. Fans can purchase single-game tickets through the team’s website at www.iowawild.com. Group tickets (10 or more), suites, Wild 365 memberships or premium tickets can be purchased by contacting the Iowa Wild Ticket Department at (515) 564-8700 or tickets@iowawild.com.
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