WILD DROP CLOSE CONTEST TO STARS, 2-1
Apr 23, 2022
DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Wild (31-30-4-5; 71 pts.) fell to the Texas Stars (31-28-6-6; 74 pts.) by a final score of 2-1 on Saturday, Apr. 23 at Wells Fargo Arena. Wild goaltender Zane McIntyre made 33 saves for Iowa in the loss.
For the second consecutive game, the Wild and the Stars ended the first period tied 0-0. The Stars led 15-10 in shots at the conclusion of the first period.
Wild forward Kyle Rau corralled a high pass and beat Stars goaltender Matt Murray (33 saves) at 10:58 of the second period to give Iowa a 1-0 lead. Wild forwards Bryce Gervais and Mason Shaw recorded assists on the goal. With his goal, Rau tied former Iowa Wild Sam Anas for the most points in Iowa Wild franchise history with 197 points.
Texas forward Tanner Kero pushed a rebound past McIntyre on the power play at 12:44 of the second period. Following Kero’s goal, the Wild and the Stars were tied 1-1.
After trading goals in the second period, Iowa and Texas entered the second intermission locked up at 1-1. Shots in the period favored the Stars, as they outshot the Wild 14-8. Through two periods, Texas led 29-18 in shots.
Stars defenseman Alex Petrovic scored on a wrist shot from the point at 14:09 of the third period to give Texas a 2-1 lead.
The Wild pulled McIntyre for the extra attacker at 18:00 of the third period with an offensive zone faceoff upcoming.
Despite having the extra attacker for the final two minutes, the Wild could not beat Murray for a second time and Texas won by a final score of 2-1. In the third period, Iowa led 16-6 in shots. The final shot count favored the Stars as they outshot the Wild 35-34 in the game.
Texas scored the only power play goal of the game, and they went 1-for-2 on the night. Iowa was 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
Next on the schedule for Iowa, the Wild head to Rockford to play the IceHogs on Sunday, Apr. 24 at 5 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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