Iowa Defeats Chicago 3-1 on New Year's Eve
December 31, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Iowa Wild News Release
DES MOINES, IOWA - Iowa Wild (18-8-4-3; 43 pts.) defeated the Chicago Wolves (20-10-3-1; 44 pts.) by a score of 3-1 Monday afternoon. With the win, Head Coach Tim Army clinched a spot behind the bench of the Central Division at the All-Star Classic in January.
The two teams played a scoreless first period, with Chicago owning a 4-3 shot advantage. It wasn't until 6:37 in the second period did Iowa find the back of the net to take a 1-0 lead. Defenseman Brennan Menell ripped a shot from the right side of the blueline that was deflected in front by forward Colton Beck. Beck's tip went past goaltender Oscar Dansk (20 saves) for his 10th goal of the season. Forward Cal O'Reilly earned the secondary assist on the play.
The Wild made it a 2-0 game with a buzzer-beater off the stick of Joel Eriksson Ek with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock. Immediately off the face-off, Eriksson Ek snapped a shot past Dansk blocker side for his third goal of the season. The goal marked the sixth consecutive AHL game with a point for Eriksson Ek, with forward Justin Kloos and O'Reilly earning the helpers.
Heading into the third period, Iowa led 2-0 while Chicago led in shots 16-12.
Chicago ended the shutout bid of Wild goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (20 saves) at 19:01 in the third period off a shot from forward T.J. Tynan. Tynan caught a pass from defenseman Zac Leslie at the right circle and beat Kahkonen blocker side for his seventh goal of the season. Defenseman Dylan Coghlan also recorded an assist on the play.
The Wild regained a 3-1 lead just 34 seconds later as a miscue by the Wolves gave Landon Ferraro his second goal of the year. With an empty net, Tynan had the puck bounce under his stick and across the goal line to clinch the victory for Iowa.
When the final whistle blew, Iowa earned a 3-1 victory and outshooting the Wolves 23-21. Iowa ended the afternoon 1-for-5 on the power play and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
The victory moved Iowa one point shy of the Wolves for the division lead, while also giving the team the best points percentage in the Central. The Wild finished its five-game homestand with eight of a possible 10 points and wins in three straight.
The Wild head to Chicago to take on the Wolves for the second part of a back-to-back Wednesday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
The Iowa Wild 2018-19 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 visiting www.iowawild.com.
American Hockey League Stories from December 31, 2018
- Griffins Oust Hogs in Defensive Battle - Rockford IceHogs
- Hicketts and Sateri Lift Griffins to 2-1 Win - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Heat Comeback Attempt Falls Short in New Year's Eve Clash - Stockton Heat
- RECAP: Penguins End the Year with 5-2 Win over Devils - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Moose Close 2018 by Downing Colorado, 4-1 - Manitoba Moose
- Devils End 2018 with 5-2 Loss to Penguins - Binghamton Devils
- Eagles Stymied in 4-1 Loss to Moose - Colorado Eagles
- Iowa Defeats Chicago 3-1 on New Year's Eve - Iowa Wild
- Coach Mike Vellucci to Represent Checkers at All-Star Classic - Charlotte Checkers
- Wolves' 11-Game Point Streak Ends - Chicago Wolves
- Vellucci, Groulx, Army, Sommer Named Coaches for 2019 AHL All-Star Classic - Syracuse Crunch
- Vellucci, Groulx, Army, Sommer Named Coaches for 2019 AHL All-Star Classic - AHL
- Checkers Stage Three-Goal Comeback But Fall to Toronto in Overtime - Charlotte Checkers
- American Hockey League Announces Suspensions - AHL
- Meet Gyasi Zardes at Condors Game Wednesday - Bakersfield Condors
- Ontario Reign Make Roster Moves - Ontario Reign
- Senators Sign Breton to PTO - Belleville Senators
- Marlies Host Charlotte Checkers - Toronto Marlies
- Syracuse's Cal Foote Named CCM/AHL Player of the Week - AHL
- Cal Foote Named CCM/AHL Player of the Week - Syracuse Crunch
- Moose Recall Cederholm - Manitoba Moose
- Jets Recall Sami Niku from the Manitoba Moose - Manitoba Moose
- Baptiste Recalled by Predators - Milwaukee Admirals
- Stockton Hosts San Jose in New Year's Eve Clash - Stockton Heat
- Eddie Lack Injury Update - Binghamton Devils
- Lewington Re-Assigned to Hershey, Bears Send Two to South Carolina - Hershey Bears
- Blue Jackets Recall Left Wing Eric Robinson from Monsters - Cleveland Monsters
- Smith Recalled from Rochester - Rochester Americans
- Tickets over 90 Per Cent Sold for Shutout Hunger Game - Manitoba Moose
- Gulls Cruise behind Boyle - San Diego Gulls
- Barracuda Downed by Gulls 5-1 - San Jose Barracuda
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.
