GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT CHICAGO WOLVES 4.6.14
Apr 6, 2014Iowa Wild (26-33-6-4, 62 points) at Chicago Wolves (40-20-5-4, 89 points)
Sunday’s game is the eighth of ten meetings this season between Iowa and Chicago. The Wolves own the season series with a 4-1-1-1 record, while Iowa is 3-2-1-1. Four of the seven games have gone to overtime or a shootout. Chicago claimed the last meeting, a 4-0 victory at home on Mar. 2. The Wolves have outscored the Wild 22-18. Wolves forward Keith Aucoin leads all scorers with seven assists and nine points in six games against the Wild. Ty Rattie leads all skaters with five goals in the season series. The two teams will meet next on Friday, Apr. 11 at Wells Fargo Arena.
Iowa dropped its last outing, a 4-1 loss at Milwaukee on Friday, the fourth game of five straight on the road. The team concludes a five-game road trip, with a final stop Chicago on Sunday prior to returning home Friday. The loss at Milwaukee was the team’s third straight after three straight wins away from home. The team is 15-13-3-3 on the road, having been outscored 108-84. Iowa is 2-8-0-0 over the last ten outings and 11-19-3-2 against the Midwest Division.
The Wolves are coming off a 4-1 win at home over Milwaukee on Friday. The team has four wins over the last six games. Chicago is 23-8-3-1 at home this season, outscoring the opposition 114-87. Chicago is 5-2-1-2 over the last ten games and 21-10-2-4 against the Midwest Division. Chicago has outscored its opponents 80-59 in the second period of play. The Wolves rank fourth overall in the Western Conference and have already clinched a playoff spot.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Chicago 4/6 3:00 PM KXNO /iHeartRadio
vs. Chicago 4/11 7:05 PM KXNO /iHeartRadio
at Rockford 4/12 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Latest Transactions:
4/3 – Add G Cody Reichard (signed PTO)
4/2 – Delete G John Curry and F Jake Dowell (recalled to MN – NHL)
4/1 – Add forwards Kurtis Gabriel and Brady Brassart (signed ATO)
4/1 – Delete Jim McKenzie (released PTO)
3/29 – Add forward Jamie MacQueen (signed PTO)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild was defeated by the Milwaukee Admirals 4-1 in front of 5,471 fans at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Friday night. Milwaukee forward Taylor Beck scored twice and added an assist to lead his club to victory. Admirals goalie Scott Darling made 23 saves for the win. Iowa goalie Johan Gustafsson made 23 saves in the defeat. Forward Zack Phillips scored the Iowa’s goal.
Iowa Wild
After 69 games, forward Brad Winchester leads the team in scoring with 19 goals and 36 points in 71 games. He has three goals and six points in 16 games with Iowa since he was acquired from Rockford via trade. Forwards Carson McMillan and Zack Phillips are also among the top scorers. Phillips has career highs of 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points in 69 games played. He is the last remaining player to skate in every game this season. McMillan has 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 61 games played. Tied for third in goal scoring, Brett Bulmer (11 goals) has 19 points in 43 games played. Defenseman Steven Kampfer is among the top scorers with 18 assists and 24 points in 62 games played.
Goalies Johan Gustafsson and Cody Reichard man the nets for Iowa. John Curry is in Minnesota after going 7-9-2 with a 2.62 GAA and a .920 SV%. Johan Gustafsson is 12-19-2 with a 3.00 GAA and a .904 SV %. Reichard has yet to play.
Iowa is 46-for-270 (17.0%) on the power play and has allowed 57 power-play goals against on 272 attempts (79.0%). The Wild is 30th in the AHL with a 2.23 goals per game average and the team sits 23rd with a 3.06 goals against average.
Notables –
· Chicago is 27-5-1-2 when scoring first, while Iowa is 20-8-4-4.
Chicago Wolves
Rookie forward Ty Rattie and veteran forward Keith Aucoin lead Chicago in scoring. Rattie has a team-leading 29 goals and 46 points in 68 games played. Keith Aucoin has 29 assists and 40 points in 59 games played. Fellow veteran Alexandre Bolduc is third in scoring with 19 assists and 31 points 52 games. Despite playing in only 27 games, Adam Cracknell is among the team leaders with 12 goals and 25 points.
Goalies Matt Climie and Jake Allen split time in net for the Wolves. Allen has appeared in 49 games, going 30-16-3 with a 2.09 GAA and a .926 SV%. Matt Climie is 9-9-1 on year, sporting a 2.78 GAA and a .898 SV%.
The Wolves are 40-for-316 (12.7% - 30th in the AHL) on the power play this year. Despite struggles on the extra man advantage, Chicago’s penalty kill has killed off 269 of 313 penalties (85.9% - 3rd in AHL). The Wolves average 3.07 goals per game and allow 2.52 per game (third overall).