Back in Black! Chops top first-place Admirals in front of 9,879
February 28, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Iowa Chops News Release
In front of another huge crowd of 9,879 fans at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, the Iowa Chops pulled off a great win at the perfect time, beating the division-leading Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 in a game that went down to the dying seconds of the third period.
In an adrenaline-soaked first period, the Chops showed they weren't afraid to get down and dirty, throwing bodies and dropping gloves. The first goal of the game, a wrist shot by Petteri Wirtanen, threw the crowd into a frenzy; and fights by Troy Bodie, Ryan Donally and Brennan Evans kept them fired up throughout the period.
Fans saw a great second period as well, as the Chops played a very balanced strategy of suffocating defense and quick offensive plays to get the puck moving. Both teams were scoreless in the period, but the Chops made their mark on the goalie, putting 14 shots on net, while Admirals just managed one.
It was the third period that the Chops faced the most trouble from penalties, getting three penalties in a span of eight minutes. Their penalty kill unit was as sharp as ever in Saturday's game, and David LeNeveu stood strong between the pipes, turning away all five power play opportunities by the Admirals in the game. The true highlight of the game came only two minutes into the third, when Ryan Dingle ripped a monster of a shot past Mark Dekanich to get the go-ahead goal. The crowd was buzzing, and the arena was rocking. The Chops fed off the crowd's energy for the rest of the period, and held off the Admirals to just one goal in the game.
It was a hard-fought game, and the Chops really gave the division leader a run for their money. The great win Saturday night snapped a nine-game winless streak for the Chops who hadn't won since February 7th. The crowd of 9,879 fans was the second largest to ever watch a hockey game at the Wells Fargo Arena, almost reaching the 10, 475 fans that witnessed Friday night's game. The combined total of 20,354 fans on the back-to-back night's easily broke the record for crowds to witness back-to-back home games in Des Moines.
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