WALLSTEDT, WILD WIN THIRD STRAIGHT IN 6-1 VICTORY OVER ICEHOGS
Dec 5, 2023
DES MOINES, Iowa – Jesper Wallstedt saved 30-of-31 shots at Wells Fargo Arena on Tuesday night as the Iowa Wild took a 6-1 victory over the Rockford IceHogs and earned their third consecutive win. Vinni Lettieri and Jake Lucchini each recorded a goal and an assist for Iowa.
Iowa took a 1-0 lead 7:06 into the game. After Brenden Miller intercepted a Rockford pass, Jujhar Khaira entered the IceHogs zone and slipped a pass through the seam to Lucchini for a one-timer past Drew Commesso (24 saves).
The Wild doubled the advantage 2:33 later. Lucchini beat out an icing and circled the Rockford net before finding a wide-open Simon Johansson on the backdoor. Daemon Hunt also picked up an assist on the play.
Iowa carried the 2-0 lead and a 9-7 advantage in shots into the first intermission.
The Wild expanded the lead to three goals 5:36 into the middle frame. With Iowa on the power play, Lettieri set up Steven Fogarty along the goal line to jam the puck on net. The puck kicked loose for Nic Petan, who finished the rebound from a sharp angle.
Iowa led 3-0 through two periods. Rockford held a 20-17 lead in shots after 40 minutes of play.
Ryder Rolston put Rockford on the board at 1:17 of the third period when he chipped a centering feed from Mike Hardman over the blocker of Wallstedt.
Lettieri restored the three-goal lead at 7:44 when he beat Commesso under the glove on a shorthanded 2-on-1.
Sammy Walker put Iowa up 5-1 with 8:33 to play with a power-play goal. After Khaira set up Hunt at the point, Hunt slipped through the Rockford defense and found Walker at the side of the net for a backhand finish.
Kevin Conley capped the scoring at 14:17 when he finished off the rebound of a shot from Mike O’Leary. Carson Lambos earned the secondary assist on the goal.
Rockford outshot Iowa 31-30. The Wild went 2-for-7 with the man advantage and killed off all five IceHogs power plays.
Iowa hosts the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. All fans are encouraged to bring a new or gently used plush animal to participate in the Teddy Bear Toss, presented by Principal.
For more information on Iowa Wild hockey, 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. Season tickets for 2023-24 are on sale now. Fans can purchase season tickets for the upcoming season at https://www.iowawild.com/wild-365.
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