WILD RALLY ON ICEHOGS, WIN 4-3 IN OVERTIME
Nov 10, 2021
ROCKFORD, Ill. – Iowa Wild (5-3-1-0; 11 pts.) defeated the Rockford IceHogs (3-5-1-0; 7 pts.) in overtime by a score of 4-3. Forward Nick Swaney scored with 26-seconds left in the third period to force OT and defenseman Joe Hicketts sealed the victory with an OT winner.
Wild defenseman Dakota Mermis kicked off the scoring as he rifled a one-timer past Rockford goaltender Malcolm Subban (39 saves) at 11:15 of the first period. The goal was Mermis’ first as a member of the Wild. Assists were credited to forward Joseph Cramarossa and defenseman Turner Ottenbreit on the tally.
Following Iowa’s first tally, Rockford forward Brett Connolly put a slot shot past Wild goaltender Dereck Baribeau (18 saves) on the power play at 15:15 of the first period. Connolly’s goal tied the game at one goal apiece.
IceHogs forward Josiah Slavin scored a shorthanded goal at 17:19 of the first period to give Rockford a 2-1 lead.
At the end of the first period, the Wild trailed the IceHogs by a score of 2-1 despite outshooting Rockford 14-9 in the first stanza.
In his first game back since being reassigned by Minnesota, Wild forward Connor Dewar scored the only goal of the second period at 3:31. Defenseman Jon Lizotte put a shot on goal from the right point that was redirected by Mason Shaw. Dewar scooped up the rebound and beat Subban. His goal tied the score at two and was Dewar’s fifth point in as many games with Iowa this season.
After two periods of play, Iowa and Rockford were tied 2-2 as the Wild outshot the IceHogs 16-8 in the second period. In total, Iowa held a 30-17 edge in shots at the end of the second period.
Rockford defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk found the back of the net at 8:12 of the third period to give the IceHogs a 3-2 lead.
With time winding down and Baribeau on the bench to give the Wild the extra attacker, Shaw centered from left of the Rockford net to Wild forward Marco Rossi whose shot created a rebound for Swaney to tie the game at three. Swaney’s late game heroics with just 26 seconds to play earned him his 10th point over the last seven games.
After three periods of action, the Wild and IceHogs charged towards overtime with the score knotted at 3-3. Shots in third period were 7-3 in favor of Iowa. At the end of regulation, the Wild held a 37-20 lead in shots.
At 2:35 of the overtime period, Connolly committed a tripping penalty that sent the Wild to the power play for the fourth time in the game. At 3:53 of the period, Hicketts wired home a point shot on the power play from Shaw and Rossi to give the Wild a 4-3 victory in overtime. Shaw’s assist on the game winner was his third helper of the evening.
In the overtime period, the Wild outshot the IceHogs 6-1. Altogether, Iowa outshot Rockford 43-21. On special teams, Hicketts overtime winner was the only power play goal for the Wild in four opportunities in the game. Rockford was one for two with the man advantage and also added a shorthanded goal courtesy of Slavin.
The Wild return home to take on Milwaukee on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. Faceoff is set for 6 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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