T-Birds Earn Sweep in High-Octane Contest vs. Wild
AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

T-Birds Earn Sweep in High-Octane Contest vs. Wild

Published on February 14, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


Springfield Thunderbirds forward Thomas Bordeleau along the bench
Springfield Thunderbirds forward Thomas Bordeleau along the bench
(Springfield Thunderbirds)

DES MOINES, IA - The Springfield Thunderbirds (18-24-4-2) once again posted a prolific offensive showing, outpacing the Iowa Wild (13-28-4-1) for a roller-coaster 8-6 victory on Saturday night inside Casey's Center in Des Moines.

The opening 20 minutes were a roller coaster of emotions for both teams and their fans. Operating a man down in the opening minutes, the T-Birds still managed to break the ice, as Otto Stenberg beat Cal Petersen with a wrister from the left circle at 1:20 of the period, making it 1-0.

Normally a very disciplined team, Springfield succumbed to another penalty two minutes later, and Iowa made them pay as Tyler Pitlick jabbed a backhand rebound over Georgi Romanov to tie the game, 1-1, at 3:53.

Springfield quickly countered at 6:36, as Quinton Burns flipped a wrister that glanced off Zach Dean's blade, skipping through Petersen to make it a 2-1 game in the T-Birds' favor. Jakub Stancl followed up 3:10 later with his second goal in as many days, finishing off a 2-on-1 pass from Hugh McGing to extend Springfield's lead to 3-1.

Like an evening ago, though, the Wild refused to go away, and Pitlick cashed in on his second of the period off a 2-on-1 setup by Hunter Haight to make it a 3-2 game at 15:14.

The one-goal deficit was short-lived for the Wild, as Thomas Bordeleau stripped the puck from an Iowa defender and rifled home a perfect shot past Petersen's blocker at 15:43 to make it 4-2. The goal was Bordeleau's first in a T-Birds uniform.

With just precious seconds remaining in the period, the Wild again responded in kind, as Nic Aube-Kubel set up Jack Peart in the left circle for a buzzer-beating tally in the midst of a delayed Springfield penalty, sending Iowa into the break trailing by just a goal at 4-3.

Yet, despite the potential momentum changer from Peart, Springfield quickly responded to begin the middle frame, as Chris Wagner went to a knee to guide a power play feed from Matt Luff in behind Petersen at 1:32 of the second, making it 5-3.

The T-Birds' defense stabilized after the chaos of the first, and the offense continued its confident weekend, as Theo Lindstein cashed in for the second time in two games, punching a shot through Petersen's glove side at 9:15 off another Luff assist to push the lead to 6-3.

Springfield's power play added to their tally when Michael Buchinger whistled a shot through the legs of William Rousseau, who entered the net in place of Petersen to begin the third. Buchinger's fifth of the season gave the T-Birds a 7-3 advantage.

Even facing a huge deficit, the Wild continued to scratch and claw. A pair of Springfield penalties opened the door for Iowa, and the home side took full advantage as Dylan Gambrell cashed in on a rebound to the right of Romanov at 8:04 to make it 7-4.

David Jiricek followed with a slap shot from the blue line that caromed in behind Romanov at 12:47, and the Springfield lead shrank to 7-5.

Things got even hairier for the T-Birds when Caedan Bankier got to his own rebound at 16:32 to beat Romanov along the near side, and Iowa incredibly got the lead shaved down to a single goal, 7-6.

In the end, though, Iowa's miraculous comeback attempt came up one tally short, as Luff delivered a much-needed empty net goal with 26 seconds remaining to seal the win. Luff and Stancl each finished their evenings with a goal and two assists, and Springfield's eight goals from eight different players set a club record for most goals in a game on the road.

The T-Birds finally return home to the Thunderdome to begin a five-game homestand on Wednesday, Feb. 18, against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for a 7:05 p.m. puck drop inside the MassMutual Center.

Single-game tickets and ticket memberships for all remaining games in the Thunderbirds' 2025-26 season are available now - fans can order now by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625).

Check out the Springfield Thunderbirds Statistics

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Images from this story

Springfield Thunderbirds forward Thomas Bordeleau along the bench
Springfield Thunderbirds forward Thomas Bordeleau along the bench
   



American Hockey League Stories from February 14, 2026


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