WILD STUMBLE IN SAN ANTONIO WITH 5-1 LOSS
Dec 4, 2019-Forward Gerry Mayhew scores team-leading 13th goal in the defeat-
Iowa Wild (12-7-2-2; 28 pts.) split its two-game series with the San Antonio Rampage (10-7-5-2; 27 pts.) with a 5-1 loss Wednesday afternoon.
San Antonio took a 1-0 lead at 5:01 in the first period as forward Jordan Kyrou scored his sixth tally of the season. Defenseman Niko Mikkola snapped a shot from the top of the right circle and Kyrou deflected the puck under the pads of goaltender Dereck Baribeau (15 saves) for the score. Iowa has now allowed the first goal in seven of the team’s last eight games.
At the end of the first period, the Rampage led 1-0 while the Wild owned an 11-8 shot advantage.
Iowa evened the game at 1-1 as forward Gerry Mayhew netted his team-leading 13th goal of the season. With the Wild on the power play, defenseman Brennan Menell took a shot from the point that Mayhew deflected past goaltender Ville Husso (27 saves) for the tally at 2:35 in the second. Menell’s assist gave him at least one helper in his last four games and six in his last seven contests, while forward Luke Johnson extended his point streak to three games with the secondary assist.
Kyrou gave the home side a 2-1 lead at 6:34 in the middle frame with his second goal of the contest. With the man advantage, Kyrou caught a pass from defenseman Derrick Pouliot and wristed a shot from the top of the right circle that beat Baribeau glove side.
Kyrou then completed his hat trick at 18:27 in the second period, pushing San Antonio’s lead to 3-1. Defenseman Mitch Reinke threaded a pass to Kyrou at the top of the left circle and the forward sent a slap shot on net that squeaked through Baribeau and across the goal line for the power-play tally.
Through 40 minutes of play, San Antonio led 3-1 while Iowa maintained an 18-15 shot lead.
At 12:17 in the third period, San Antonio extended its lead to 4-1. Forward Joey LaLeggia one-timed a pass from Walman and in front, winger Evan Polei deflected the shot past Baribeau for his first goal of the season.
Pouliot capped off the Rampage’s win with an unassisted empty-net goal at 18:36 in the third period, completing San Antonio’s 5-1 win. Iowa outshot the Rampage 28-20 in the loss.
Iowa finished the contest 1-for-4 on the power-play and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill.
The Wild completes its road trip with a Friday night contest against the Milwaukee Admirals at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
The Iowa Wild 2019-20 regular season is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center and runs from October through April. For more information, please contact the Wild office by calling 515-564-8700 or by visiting www.iowawild.com.