CAPTAIN CAL O’REILLY LEADS WILD TO 2-1 VICTORY OVER CHICAGO
Apr 12, 2019-O’Reilly sets franchise record for points in a season with two-goal effort-
Captain Cal O’Reilly potted the game-tying and game-winning goals for the Iowa Wild (36-26-8-5; 85 pts.), keeping the team’s playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 victory against the Chicago Wolves (43-22-5-4; 95 pts.) Friday night.
After nearly two and a half periods without a goal, Chicago got on the board first with a power-play goal at 8:32 in the third period. Forward Gage Quinney got a pass from forward Tye McGinn and walked into the left circle. He snapped a shot that beat goaltender Andrew Hammond (23 saves) up high for his 19th of the season.
Iowa knotted the game up at 1-1 at 15:24 in the final frame as O’Reilly notched his 15th goal of the season. Defenseman Carson Soucy took a shot from the top of the left circle that bounced off forward Will Bitten’s skates and then trickled through the pads of goaltender Maxime Lagace (35 saves). O’Reilly got behind Lagace and knocked the puck over the goal line, giving him 65 points on the season, the most in a single year by a Wild player.
The score stayed deadlocked at 1-1 at the end of the third, pushing the contest into overtime.
With just 30 seconds left to go in the extra frame, Quinney shuttled a pass to forward Dylan Coghlan, who ripped a shot on net. Hammond was forced to make a sprawling save and then McGinn’s rebound attempt was blocked by the Wild defense. O’Reilly then gathered the puck and sprinted down the ice on a breakaway. With a Wolves defender on his back, he chipped the puck over Lagace’s glove, clinching the 2-1 victory for the home side.
The win marked the Wild’s 36th of the year, tying the franchise record for victories in a single season, set originally in the 2016-17 campaign. The win also dropped Iowa’s magic number to three points and moved the team into sole possession of third place in the Central Division.
Iowa finished the game 0-for-2 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill, while outshooting the Wolves 37-24.
Iowa faces off against the Rockford IceHogs Saturday evening with a 6:00 p.m. puck drop. Following the contest, country music artist Devin Dawson will perform a postgame concert.
The Iowa Wild 2018-19 season is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center and runs from October through April. For more information, please contact the Wild office by calling 515-564-8700 or by visiting www.iowawild.com.