SWANEY TALLIES FOUR POINTS IN 5-2 WIN OVER GRIFFINS
Apr 19, 2022
DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Wild (31-28-4-5; 71 pts.) beat the Grand Rapids Griffins (31-32-6-2; 70 pts.) by a final score of 5-2 at Wells Fargo Arena on Tuesday, Apr. 19. Wild forward Marco Rossi recorded a goal in the win, giving him 51 points on the season and the record for the most points recorded in a single season by an Iowa Wild rookie.
Wild forward Nick Swaney caused a turnover directly in front of Griffins goaltender Victor Brattstrom (23 saves) and lifted the puck into the Grand Rapids net at 7:29 of the first period. His goal was unassisted, and it gave Iowa a 1-0 lead.
Swaney’s tally was the only goal scored in the first period and the Wild held a 1-0 lead at the conclusion of the period. Grand Rapids led 7-6 in shots after the first stanza.
At 13:48 of the second period, Rossi slammed home a rebound to extend Iowa’s lead to 2-0. Assists on the play were credited to Wild defenseman Turner Ottenbreit and Swaney.
A wrist shot from Iowa forward Kyle Rau deflected off Griffins defenseman Wyatt Newpower and past Brattstrom at 16:21 of the second period to give the Wild a 3-0 lead. Wild forward Mason Shaw and Wild defenseman Kevin Czuczman recorded assists on Rau’s goal.
With 17-seconds remaining in the second period and Grand Rapids on the power play, Griffins forward Jonatan Berggren beat Wild goaltender Zane McIntyre (28 saves) with a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle to cut Iowa’s lead to 3-1.
After the Wild and the Griffins combined to score three total goals in the second period, Iowa carried a 3-1 lead into the second intermission. The Wild outshot the Griffins 13-10 in the period and led 19-17 in shots through two periods.
Grand Rapids forward Kyle Criscuolo scored on a wrist shot from the left circle at 2:17 of the third period to make the score 3-2 in favor of Iowa.
Wild forward Nick Swaney cut in front of the Griffins net and created a rebound chance for Shaw who ripped a shot past Brattstrom to give Iowa a 4-2 lead at 12:27 of the third period. Shaw’s goal came at 4-on-4 and Swaney and Wild defenseman Calen Addison recorded assists on the play.
Down 4-2 with less than one-minute remaining in the third period, the Griffins pulled Brattstrom for the extra attacker.
With 28-seconds left in the third period, Swaney accepted a feed from Rau in the Griffins defensive zone and scored on the empty net to give Iowa a 5-2 lead. Rau and Shaw assisted on Swaney’s second goal of the game.
Iowa held their lead through the end of regulation and sealed a 5-2 victory. Grand Rapids outshot Iowa 13-8 in the third period and 30-28 in the game.
The Wild were 0-for-5 and the Griffins were 1-for-2 on the power play on the night.
Up next for the Wild is a second consecutive home contest as they face the Texas Stars at Wells Fargo Arena on Friday, Apr. 22 at 7:00 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. The 2022-23 season marks the 10th anniversary of Iowa Wild hockey. Fans can purchase season tickets for the 10th anniversary season at https://www.iowawild.com/wild-365.
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