GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE 3.7.15
Mar 6, 2015Iowa Wild (21-37-1-1, 44 points) at San Antonio Rampage (32-19-5-1, 70 points)
Iowa concludes a stretch of four straight away from Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday night in San Antonio. The team begins a season-long six-game home stand starting on Mar. 15. Iowa and San Antonio last met Jan 10 at AT&T Center, an 8-3 victory for the Rampage. The two teams have met five times this year, with Iowa showing a 1-3-0-1 mark against the Rampage, including an 0-2-0-1 record at AT&T Center this year. San Antonio is 3-1-0-0 against Iowa, including a 2-0-0-0 record at home. The two teams play a total of eight times this season. The Wild is 6-4-0-1 all-time against San Antonio, including a 3-2-0-1 mark on the road. The Rampage is 5-2-1-3 all-time, including a 3-0-1-2 mark at home.
Iowa is 13-18-1-1 on the road this season, having been outscored 107-81 by the home teams. The 107 road-goals allowed is the highest in the AHL. Iowa is coming off a 2-1 overtime win at Texas on Friday night. It marked the team’s first three-game winning streak of the season after seven previous failed attempts. Iowa has played ten of the last 15 games on the road. The Wild is 4-6-0-0 over the last ten games, while San Antonio is 5-3-1-1. The Rampage is 15-7-3-0 at home, outscoring the visitors 82-75. The club is also 21-5-3-0 when scoring first.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at San Antonio 3/7 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Utica 3/15 5:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Charlotte 3/21 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio / MC22
vs. Charlotte 3/22 3:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Texas 3/24 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
2.26.15 – Delete – F Ryan Walters (assigned to Alaska - ECHL)
2.26.15 – Delete – D Joe Stejskal (released PTO)
3.2.15 – Delete – F Zack Phillips (traded to Boston – NHL)
3.2.15 – Delete – D Justin Falk (traded to Columbus – NHL)
3.2.15 – Add – F Jared Knight (traded from Boston – NHL)
3.3.15 – Add – F Stephane Veilleux (assigned by Minnesota – NHL)
3.4.15 – Delete – F Greg Wolfe (released PTO)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Texas Stars 2-1 in overtime in front of 5,556 fans on Friday night at the Cedar Park Center. Center Tyler Graovac beat goalie Jussi Rynnas just 16 seconds into overtime, lifting Iowa over Texas for the team’s first three-game winning streak of the season. Iowa goalie John Curry finished with 34 saves on 35 shots, holding the defending champs off the scoreboard for the first 55 minutes of play. Forward Olivier Archambault also scored, as Iowa posted its second win at Cedar Park Center in seven tries. Texas goalie Jussi Rynnas stopped 14 of 16 in the OT defeat. Stars forward Derek Hulak scored Texas’ lone goal 4:15 remaining in regulation to force OT.
Iowa Wild
Through 60 games this season, forward Tyler Graovac is the team’s leading scorer. He leads the team in goals with 19 tallies and is first with 40 points in 57 games. Michael Keranen is second on the team in scoring with 33 points and was first with 24 assists in 55 games. On recall to Minnesota, 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 28 points in 51 games played. Rookie Zack Mitchell is fifth among active skaters with 15 goals and 27 points in 60 games played. Defenseman Jon Blum is the leader in points from the blueline. He has nine goals and 27 points in 50 games played. Veteran center Brett Sutter is also among the team leaders with 23 points in 55 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 11-15-0 with a 2.77 GAA and a 0.915 SV%. Gustafsson is 8-18-0 with a 3.36 GAA and a .898 SV %.
Iowa’s power play is ranked 22nd at 15.2%, while the penalty kill sits 30th at 77.3%.
Notables –
· Wild forward Marc Hagel needs three more games to become only the fourth player in Iowa history to play in 100 games – joining Tyler Graovac, Jon Blum and Zack Phillips. Captain Stephane Veilleux is next on the list with 77 games played for Iowa.
· Tyler Graovac is the first player to reach 40 points in a single season.
San Antonio Rampage
In the first 57 games this season, forward Bobby Butler leads San Antonio in scoring with 24 goals and 50 points in 54 games played. Butler is third on the team in shots, second in assists and first with 16 power-play points. He is followed by right wing Mark Mancari, who has 11 goals and a team high 29 assists for 40 points in 57 games played. Rookie Rocco Grimaldi is third on the club in points with 35 in 50 games played. His 24 assists are fourth highest on the team and he places fifth among all league rookies in points. Left wing Connor Brickley is fourth on the club with 34 points off 19 goals and 15 assists in 54 games played. He is second on the team in goals and also places second among all rookies in goals. Brickley sits seventh on the AHL rookie-scoring race. Center Brett Olson rounds out the top scorers with 32 points in 57 games played. He is fourth on the team in assists.
Playing in 36 games this year, goalie Dan Ellis (22-11-3) is posting a 2.70 GAA and a 0.906 SV%. Goalie Michael Houser (10-8-3) is posting a 3.02 GAA and a 0.896 SV% in 24 games played.
San Antonio's power play is ranked 6th in the AHL at 18.9%, while its penalty kill is 19th at 82.2%.