GRIFFINS SURGE PAST WILD 6-2
Feb 24, 2015GRIFFINS SURGE PAST WILD 6-2
Iowa Hits Road For Four Straight, Returns Home Mar. 15
DES MOINES, IA – The Iowa Wild (18-37-1-1, 38 points) were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins (31-17-5-1, 68 points) 6-2 in front of 4,122 fans on Tuesday at Wells Fargo Arena. Grand Rapids scored twice in the first period and four times in the second period to get past Iowa. Seven different Griffins recorded multi-point games in the victory. Rookie forward Marek Tvrdon led the way with two goals. Grand Rapids goalie Petr Mrazek (6-2-0) stopped 31 of 33 shots for the road win. Iowa goalie Johan Gustafsson (8-19-1) made two saves on four shots to record the loss and was replaced by John Curry (8-14-0) after 4:37 of work. Curry stopped 23 of 27 shots in relief. Forwards Olivier Archambault and Marc Hagel scored for Iowa in the defeat. Iowa visits Lake Erie at 6 p.m. (CT) on Friday, Feb. 27, beginning a four-game road trip.
Grand Rapids opened the scoring 3:03 into the first period when forward Kevin Porter fired a wrist shot past Iowa goalie Johan Gustafsson. Porter’s eighth goal this season was assisted by defenseman Brian Lashoff and forward Tomas Nosek, giving the Griffins a 1-0 lead. Grand Rapids extended its lead at the 4:37 mark of the period when forward Chris Bruton scored, causing the Wild to replace Gustafsson with goalie John Curry. Forward Jeff Hoggan and Lashoff aided Bruton on his second goal of the year for the 2-0 Griffins lead.
The Griffins widened the gap 4:43 into the second period when rookie forward Anthony Mantha scored a power-play goal. Mantha backhanded the puck into the net off a rebound for the 3-0 lead. Nosek and forward Landon Ferraro set up the play for Mantha’s 10th goal of the season. Grand Rapids added another goal at the 6:58 mark of the period when rookie forward Marek Tvrdon scored. Tvrdon’s fifth goal this year was assisted by rookie forward Mark Zengerle and defenseman Xavier Ouellet, giving the Griffins a 4-0 lead. Tvrdon scored his second goal of the night at 10:06 of the period. Tvrdon’s sixth goal this year was aided by Zengerle and Hoggan for the 5-0 Grand Rapids lead. The Wild tallied its first goal at 11:03 of the period when rookie forward Olivier Archambault scored off a rebound. Forward Ryan Walters and Ian Schultz assisted Archambault on his second goal this year, making it 5-1 Griffins. Grand Rapids extended its lead at 12:08 of the period when Ferraro scored. Porter and defenseman Ryan Sproul fed Ferraro the puck for his 21st goal of the season for the 6-1 Griffins lead. Iowa got one back when forward Marc Hagel scored at the 15:32 mark of the period. Hagel’s ninth goal this year was assisted by Jon Blum and Tyler Graovac, making it 6-2 Grand Rapids.
After two games at Lake Erie this weekend and two games in Texas the following weekend, the Wild returns home on Sunday, Mar. 15 for a 5:00 p.m. faceoff with the Utica Comets. During an intermission, the team is celebrating its first ever “Wedding on Ice”, sponsored by Grip Tite Foundation Repair. Prior to the game, Iowa is hosting a charity game to raise money for Autism. The game features Wells Fargo versus Principal Financial at 2 p.m. with all proceeds going to the Autism Society of Iowa. Specialty pucks will be available for purchase on the concourse, with the proceeds benefitting the Autism Society of Iowa. Fans are encouraged to bring their skates for a postgame skate after the game, presented by Grip Tite Foundation Repair. Fans may also purchase the Subway Combo Pack, which starts at $12 per person, including a ticket, a hot dog, a soda – also presented by More 104 FM.
Iowa continues its six-game home stand with Charlotte at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 21. The day of the game, Iowa is hosting the first ever “Bags and Brews On Ice” tournament from 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. The event, sponsored by Summit Brewing, Lazer 103.3 and Tailgate Addicts – features a keg from Summit Brewing, music and a stream of the NCAA tournament games up on the video board. The team is holding a silent auction on the concourse, benefitting the American Heart Association (AHA). Fans may bid on the team’s AHA warm-up jerseys through the first two periods of the game. The first 1,500 fans to Saturday’s game receive an Iowa Wild duffel bag, sponsored by Iowa Ortho & Lazer 103.3. Every Saturday night fans may purchase the Brewdog Pack - presented by Legends American Grill. The package starts at $15 per fan, consisting of a ticket, a Wild puck, a hot dog and a beer at the game. Fans also receive a postgame beer at the downtown Legends American Grill location.
Iowa and Charlotte meet again at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Mar. 22. The team celebrates Agriculture Appreciation Day on with the first 5,000 fans receiving a cowbell, presented by sponsored by Verizon Wireless. Fans may also purchase the Subway Combo Pack, which starts at $12 per person, including a ticket, a hot dog, a soda – also presented by More 104 FM.
The Iowa Wild 2014-15 season is presented by Mercy Medical Center, it runs from October through April. Fans may purchase seats to see any of the team’s 38 regular season home games at Wells Fargo Arena. Season tickets to see the Wild play at Wells Fargo Arena start at just $9 per game. For more information on tickets, including ticket plans and group seating, please contact the Wild ticket office by calling 515-564-8700 or go to www.iowawild.com.
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