Early Grand Rapids Outburst Sends Iowa to 6-2 Defeat
Published on February 28, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Iowa Wild News Release
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Grand Rapids Griffins rode a four-goal first period to a 6-2 win over the Iowa Wild at Van Andel Arena on Saturday night.
Jakub Rychlovsky opened the scoring with a deflection past Samuel Hlavaj (20 saves) 6:39 into the game.
Sheldon Dries tipped a point shot into the back of the net 1:09 later to double the lead for Grand Rapids.
Amadeus Lombardi collected a cross-ice pass from William Lagesson and beat Hlavaj high at 15:42.
The Griffins scored their fourth goal with 1:18 remaining in the opening frame when Michael Brandsegg-Nygård found the back of the net with a wrister on the rush.
Grand Rapids outshot Iowa 10-5 in the first period.
The Wild got on the board 8:15 into the middle frame when Mark Liwiski slammed a slot shot past Sebastian Cossa (20 saves) with assists from Rasmus Kumpulainen and Jack Peart.
Each team recorded 15 shots through 40 minutes.
Brandsegg-Nygård netted his second goal of the contest 9:06 into the third period on a 2-on-1.
Iowa answered at 13:11 following the expiration of a power play. After Boris Katchouk sent a pass to the goal line, Riley Heidt drove to the crease and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel fired the loose puck into an empty cage.
Lombardi wrapped up the scoring for Grand Rapids at 15:08.
Grand Rapids outshot Iowa 26-22. The Wild went scoreless on two power plays while the Griffins finished 1-for-2 with the man advantage.
Iowa travels to MassMutual Center to visit the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday, Mar. 6 at 6:05 p.m.
Iowa Wild hockey is presented by Kwik Star. For more information on Iowa Wild hockey, visit www.iowawild.com. Season tickets for 2026-27 are on sale now. Fans can purchase season tickets for the upcoming season at https://www.iowawild.com/wild-365 .
Visit http://www.iowawild.com/pressbox for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, multimedia content, and daily statistics.
Iowa Wild home games are played at Casey's Center. Iowa Wild games are now streaming on AHLTV on FloHockey. Fans can visit FloHockey.tv now to create a free account, purchase subscriptions for the 2025-26 season, and watch all Iowa Wild games online.
American Hockey League Stories from February 28, 2026
- Roadrunners' Early Lead Slips Away in 5-3 Loss at San Jose - Tucson Roadrunners
- Marathon Shootout, Phantoms Earn Standings Point - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Bystedt Leads Way in Win over Roadrunners - San Jose Barracuda
- Firebirds Withstand Condors, Win in Shootout, 3-2 - Coachella Valley Firebirds
- Bears Go Hog-Wild in 5-1 Win over Rockford - Hershey Bears
- Roadrunners Fall to Barracuda, 5-3 - Tucson Roadrunners
- Stars Power Past Gulls in Overtime - Texas Stars
- Condors Gain Point, Rally from 2-0 Down - Bakersfield Condors
- Henderson Utilizes Power Play to Top Eagles, 4-2 - Colorado Eagles
- Gulls Edged in Ovetime - San Diego Gulls
- Lombardi Records 100th Point as Griffin in Win over Iowa - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Justin Dowling the Shootout Hero in Wolf Pack's 5-4 Triumph over Phantoms - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Syracuse Crunch Blow Past Laval Rocket, 6-4 - Syracuse Crunch
- Moose Downed by Milwaukee Barrage - Manitoba Moose
- P-Bruins Erase Late Two Goal Deficit to Beat Islanders in Shootout - Providence Bruins
- Utica's Quick Strike Spree Downs Senators 5-1 - Belleville Senators
- Early Grand Rapids Outburst Sends Iowa to 6-2 Defeat - Iowa Wild
- Admirals Go Moose Hunting - Milwaukee Admirals
- Islanders Capture Point in Shootout Loss to Bruins - Bridgeport Islanders
- Parent Records Hat Trick, Comets Cruise to 5-1 Win - Utica Comets
- T-Birds Bombard Charlotte Net in Explosive Win - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Checkers Defeated 5-1 by T-Birds - Charlotte Checkers
- Penguins Lose in Overtime to Monsters, 2-1 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Nadeau Leads Wolves to 5-4 Shootout Win over Marlies - Chicago Wolves
- IceHogs' Mylymok Suspended for One Game - AHL
- Defenseman Angus Booth Recalled by LA Kings - Ontario Reign
- Preview: Phantoms vs. Hartford, Game 51 - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Preview: Condors at Firebirds, 6 p.m. - Bakersfield Condors
- Detroit Recalls Dominik Shine - Grand Rapids Griffins
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
