WILD FALLS TO GRIFFINS 3-2 IN THE SHOOTOUT

 

 

DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa Wild (14-9-6-2; 36 pts.) fell to Grand Rapids Griffins (11-15-1-3; 26 pts.) 3-2 in the shootout Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena, as the team picked up at least one standings point for the 10^th time in 11 games this month.

 

Winger Sam Anas made history for the Wild when he tucked a shot between Griffins’ goaltender Jared Coreau’s (21 saves) legs to give Iowa a 1-0 lead just 6:08 into the opening period. Fighting through the Griffins’ defense, Anas caught a pass in the slot from center Justin Kloos and scored his sixth goal in as many games, while setting a franchise record with his ninth consecutive game with a point (8g, 5a).

 

At the end of the first period, the Wild led, 1-0.

 

Grand Rapids answered at the 8:33 mark of the second period when forward Matt Lorito deflected a shot from center Dominic Turgeon up and over Wild goaltender C.J. Motte’s left shoulder (29 saves).

 

The Griffins nearly made it 2-1 with four minutes remaining in the second when defenseman Joe Hicketts found the puck on his stick at the left circle. Hicketts fired a shot with an open net, but Motte lunged over to his right side to get his pad on the shot and deny the goal.

 

Kloos gave the Wild the lead at 14:47 of the final frame off a slick deflection in front. After receiving a pass from forward Gerry Mayhew, defenseman Alex Grant fired a shot from the blue line, which Kloos redirected past Coreau. Kloos finished the contest with a goal and an assist for his fifth multi-point game of the season, while Mayhew registered two helpers, his first multi-assist and multi-point game of the season.

 

Grand Rapids’ forward Matthew Ford drew the Griffins even when he slammed home a shot through Motte’s five-hole with just 1:47 left in regulation, sending the Central Division battle to overtime.

 

A scoreless extra session featured Motte stopping five shots from the Griffins, and a lengthy offensive-zone possession by the Wild, but neither team could find the back of the net.

 

In the shootout, Anas scored first for the Wild, but center Ben Street answered for the Griffins in the third round. Forward Axel Holmstrom scored for the visitors in the seventh round, and Wild forward Kyle Rau answered right back with a squeaker through Coreau’s five-hole. In the eighth round, Turgeon clinched the game for Grand Rapids with the shootout winner.

 

The Wild finished with 23 shots on goal, while the Griffins registered 32, as Iowa dropped its second consecutive shootout affair with Grand Rapids.

 

Iowa returns from the holiday break with a Thursday showdown against Rockford IceHogs. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. CT.

 

The Iowa Wild 2017-18 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 visitingwww.iowawild.com.

 

 

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