GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT ROCKFORD ICEHOGS 4.12.14
Apr 11, 2014Iowa Wild (27-34-6-4, 64 points) at Rockford IceHogs (33-30-5-4, 75 points)
Saturday’s game is the final of ten meetings this season between Iowa and Rockford. The two teams have not met since a 4-1 Rockford win at Wells Fargo Arena on Feb. 25. The game marked the Hogs fourth straight win over Iowa. Rockford has outscored Iowa 21-9 over the last four games and 31-26 for the season series. Rockford leads the season series with a 5-3-0-1 mark, while Iowa is 4-5-0-0. The Wild is 2-2-0-0 at Rockford. Ice Hogs forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard has seven points in four games against Iowa. Defenseman Adam Clendening has eight points in nine games.
Iowa fell 4-1 to Chicago at home on Friday, playing the first of three games in three nights. The team will head home on Sunday to face Milwaukee. Iowa has dropped six straight home games dating back to a 2-1 win over San Antonio on Mar. 16. Iowa is 16-13-3-3 on the road this year, having been outscored 111-88. The Wild is 2-8-0-0 over the last ten outings and 12-20-3-2 against the Midwest Division.
Since March 1, Rockford has been on a slide by posting a 4-9-1-1 record over the last 15 outings. With a 4-1 loss at home to Milwaukee, the team extended its losing streak to four games. The Hogs are 22-10-1-2 at home this year, outscoring the visitors 118-103. Rockford is 17-18-1-4 against the Midwest Division and 3-6-0-1 over the last ten outings.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Rockford 4/12 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Milwaukee 4/13 5:05 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs Chicago 4/16 7:05 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Latest Transactions:
4/10 – Add G Joel Martin (signed PTO – from Kalamazoo - ECHL)
4/3 – Add G Cody Reichard (signed PTO- from Orlando - ECHL)
4/2 – Delete G John Curry and F Jake Dowell (recalled to MN – NHL)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Chicago Wolves 4-1 in front of 8,314 fans at Wells Fargo Arena on Friday. Forwards Shane Harper and Alexandre Buldoc scored 1:32 apart in the second period to lead Chicago to victory. Wolves goalie Jake Allen finished with 22 saves, recording his league-leading 31st win of the year. Iowa forward Marc Hagel spoiled Allen’s shutout with 1:35 remaining in regulation. Wild goalie Cody Reichard stopped 31 shots in the defeat.
Iowa Wild
After 71 games, forward Brad Winchester leads the team in scoring with 19 goals and 36 points in 73 games. He has three goals and six points in 18 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 71 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 63 games played. Defenseman Steven Kampfer is also among the top scorers with 18 assists and 25 points in 64 games played.
Goalies Johan Gustafsson, Joel Martin and Cody Reichard man the nets for Iowa. Johan Gustafsson is 12-19-2 with a 3.00 GAA and a .904 SV %. Reichard is 1-1-0 with a 3.36 GAA and a .912 SV%. Martin has yet to make his AHL debut this season.
Iowa is 47-for-275 (17.1%) on the power play and has allowed 58 power-play goals against on 281 attempts (79.4%). The Wild is 30th in the AHL with a 2.25 goals per game average and the team sits 23rd with a 3.08 goals against average.
Notables –
· Iowa forward Jake Dowell was named the AHL’s Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award Recipient on Friday.
· This is the first meeting since a trade sent F Brad Winchester and D Zach Miskovic to Iowa for D Brian Connelly on Feb. 26.
Rockford IceHogs
Defenseman Adam Clendening leads Rockford in scoring with 12 goals and 44 assists for 56 points in 71 games played. He ranks among the top scoring defenseman in the AHL. Jeremy Morin had 47 points in 47 games before going up to Chicago. Forward Alex Broadhurst is second on the club in points with 42 in 71 games. He is also among the team leaders with 14 goals. Forward Terry Broadhurst is third on the club in points with 39 in 69 games. Former Iowa defenseman Brian Connelly is among the team leaders with 38 points in 65 games played. He has six points in 15 games with the Hogs. Forwards Mark McNeill (37 points) and Pierre-Marc Bouchard (36 points) are also among the team leaders.
Goalies Kent Simpson, Mac Carruth and Jason LaBarbera are all in net for Rockford. LaBarbera is 14-14-3 with a 2.88 GAA and a .908 SV%. Simpson is 10-14-1 with a 3.66 GAA and a .889 SV%. Carruth is 2-2-1 with a 3.38 GAA.
The IceHogs are 12th in the AHL on the power play, going 55 for 300 (18.3%). Rockford is 30th on the penalty kill, allowing 87 power-play goals against on 313 attempts (72.2%). The Hogs sit 10th in the AHL with a 3.09 goals per game average and 29th with a 3.45 goals against average.