GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT HAMILTON BULLDOGS 2.10.15
Feb 10, 2015Iowa Wild (17-30-1-1, 36 points) at Hamilton Bulldogs (23-18-6-0, 52 points)
Iowa concludes a stretch of four straight on the road with the final stop in Hamilton. The team also made stops in Adirondack, Hamilton and Toronto, going 2-1-0-0. Iowa makes its second visit to Hamilton, winning 5-3 on Friday night in the third meeting of the season between the two clubs. This marks the final regular season game of 2014-15 between them. The road team has taken every game of the series, starting with Hamilton sweeping a pair of games in Des Moines the final weekend of January. The two clubs only met twice in 2013-14, splitting the season series with the home team taking each decision. Iowa is 2-3-0-0 all time against Hamilton, including a 1-1-0-0 mark at Copps Coliseum. Hamilton is 3-2-0-0 all time, including a 1-1-0-0 mark at home.
Iowa is 9-15-1-1 on the road this season, having been outscored 91-66 by the home teams. The 91 goals are the most road goals allowed in the AHL. Iowa suffered a 5-1 loss on Saturday at Toronto, ending the club’s seventh two-game winning streak. Iowa is 3-7-0-0 over the last ten games, while Hamilton is 7-3-0-0. The club has recorded seven wins over the last eight games – its only loss was to Iowa. The Bulldogs are 11-11-3-0 at home, outscored by the visitors 67-63. The club is 14-5-2-0 when scoring first. The Bulldogs are coming off a 4-0 win at Lake Erie on Saturday.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Hamilton 2/10 6:30 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs Texas 2/13 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs Texas 2/14 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs Oklahoma City 2/15 4:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio / MC 22
at Charlotte 2/18 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
2.5.15 – Add – F Olivier Archambault (recalled from Alaska - ECHL)
2.5.15 – Add – F Ryan Walters (recalled from Alaska - ECHL)
2.5.15 – Add – F Joe Perry (signed PTO – from Quad City Mallards – ECHL)
2.7.15 – Add – D Joe Stejskal (signed PTO – from Gwinnett Gladiators – ECHL)
2.8.15 – Delete – G Darcy Kuemper (recalled by Minnesota - NHL)
2.8.15 – Add – G Johan Gustafsson (recalled from Alaska – ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Toronto Marlies 5-1 in front of 6,795 fans on Saturday afternoon at Ricoh Coliseum. Gregg McKegg scored twice and goalie Christopher Gibson did the bulk of the work, losing a shutout in the last minute play. Gibson made 17 saves in the second period and finished with 32 saves on 33 Wild shots. Matt Frattin, Josh Leivo and William Nylander also scored for the Marlies, ending the team’s three-game winless skid (0-2-1-0). Iowa goalie Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 of 26 Marlies’ shots for the loss. Forward Zack Mitchell scored the team’s lone goal and Iowa fell to 0-7-0-0 when attempting to win the club’s third straight game this season.
Iowa Wild
Through 49 games this season, forwards Michael Keranen and Tyler Graovac are the team’s leading scorers. Graovac leads the team in goals with 16 tallies and is first with 34 points in 46 games. Keranen is second on the team in scoring with 31 points and is first with 23 assists in 48 games. Recalled Tuesday, forward Jordan Schroeder was third on the club in points with 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points in 35 games played. Right wing Marc Hagel is third among active skaters with a career-high 24 points in 40 games played. Rookie Zack Mitchell is fourth among active skaters with 14 goals and 23 points in 49 games played. Defenseman Jon Blum is the leader in points from the blueline. He has eight goals and 22 points in 39 games played. Veteran center Brett Sutter is also among the team leaders with 18 points in 45 games played.
Goalies Johan Gustafsson, John Curry and Josh Harding (injured) man the Iowa Wild crease. Harding is 0-1-1 with a 3.37 GAA and a .920 SV%. John Curry is 8-10-0 with a 2.78 GAA and a 0.917 SV%. Gustafsson is 7-16-0 with a 3.39 GAA and a .896 SV %.
Iowa’s power play is ranked 16th at 16.6%, while the penalty kill sits 30th at 77.0%.
Notables –
· The Wild has six players from the Canadian province of Ontario, including Marc Hagel, who was born and raised in Hamilton.
· Iowa left wing Zack Mitchell has tied Erik Haula’s team mark for most goals by a rookie (14).
· Jon Blum set the team record for goals by a defenseman when he scored his 8th of the year in Hamilton on 2.6.15.
Hamilton Bulldogs
Through the first 47 games this season, rookie forward Charles Hudon leads the Hamilton Bulldogs in scoring with 12 goals and 29 assists for 41 points. This mark leads all rookies and is seventh in the AHL for overall points. Forward T.J. Hensick is second on the Bulldogs in scoring, tallying 12 goals and 24 assists for 36 points in 47 games. Daniel Carr is third on the team in points with 23 in 47 games. Forward Sven Andrighetto is fourth in overall points, totaling 10 goals and 21 points in 31 games played. In 36 games, forward Drayson Bowman is fifth on the team in scoring off eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points. Defenseman Davis Drewiske leads all Hamilton blueliners with 16 points in 47 games played.
Playing in 27 games this year, rookie goalie Mike Condon (15-9-3) is posting a 2.02 GAA and a 0.934 SV%. Goalie Joey MacDonald (7-8-3) is posting a 3.02 GAA and a 0.899 SV% in 18 games played.
Hamilton’s power play is ranked 28th in AHL at 12.2%, while its penalty kill is seventh at 86.5%.