CHAFFEE LIFTS IOWA TO 5-4 OVERTIME VICTORY OVER ROCKFORD
Mar 25, 2022
DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Wild (24-25-4-4; 56 pts.) defeated the Rockford IceHogs (27-23-4-1; 59 pts.) in overtime by a final score of 5-4 in front of 8,042 fans at Wells Fargo Arena. Wild forward Mitchell Chaffee scored two goals, including the overtime winner, and registered an assist in the win.
With 54-seconds remaining in the first period, IceHogs forward Brett Connolly beat Wild goaltender Zane McIntyre (27 saves) on a rebound chance to give Rockford a 1-0 lead.
After a first period in which the IceHogs were the only team to score, Rockford led 1-0 over Iowa. The Wild led 13-9 in shots through one period.
Wild forward Adam Beckman blasted a rebound chance past Rockford goaltender Arvid Soderblom (43 saves) from the bottom of the left circle at 1:08 of the second period. His goal tied the game 1-1 and was assisted by Chaffee and Iowa forward Dominic Turgeon.
With the Wild on the powerplay, Chaffee accepted a pass from Wild defenseman Calen Addison, stepped into the top of the right circle and fired a wrist shot past Soderblom to give Iowa a 2-1 lead. Chaffee’s goal came at 7:51 of the second period and Addison and Wild forward Marco Rossi were credited with assists on the play.
A pass off the boards from Addison sprung Wild forward Bryce Gervais on a breakaway and Gervais capitalized at 11:25 of the second period to extend Iowa’s lead to 3-1. Addison recorded the lone assist on the play.
Rockford forward Evan Barratt scored on a wrist shot from the left circle at 13:08 of the second period to cut the Wild’s lead to 3-2.
Off an offensive zone faceoff win on the powerplay, Iowa forward Kyle Rau beat Soderblom from the slot at 17:31 of the second period to give the Wild a two-goal lead once again. Wild forward Mason Shaw tallied an assist on the play.
Following a second period in which five total goals were scored, Iowa led Rockford by a score of 4-2. The Wild outshot the IceHogs 14-11 in the second period and led 27-20 in shots through two periods.
At 7:01 of the third period, Barratt finished a chance directly in front of McIntyre to make the score 4-3 in favor of Iowa.
Connolly beat McIntyre on a one-timer at 16:56 of the third period to tie the game 4-4.
Iowa and Rockford could not break the 4-4 tie before the conclusion of the third stanza and the Wild and IceHogs headed to overtime. Shots in the third period were 18-11 in favor of Iowa and the Wild led 45-31 in shots through the end of regulation.
In overtime, Chaffee and Rossi broke free on a two-on-one chance and Chaffee ripped home the overtime winner from the top of the left circle at 2:16 of the period to lift Iowa to 5-4 victory. Iowa did not allow a shot in overtime as they outshot Rockford 3-0. The Wild outshot the IceHogs 48-31 in the game.
Iowa was 2-for-4 and Rockford was 0-for-3 on the power play on the night.
Next on Iowa’s weekend schedule, a Sunday afternoon matchup with the Chicago Wolves on Mar. 27 at 3 p.m. CT.
Iowa Wild hockey is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.iowawild.com. Fans can purchase single-game tickets through the team’s website at www.iowawild.com. Group tickets (10 or more), suites, Wild 365 memberships or premium tickets can be purchased by contacting the Iowa Wild Ticket Department at (515) 564-8700 or tickets@iowawild.com. The 2022-23 season marks the 10th anniversary of Iowa Wild hockey. Fans can purchase season tickets for the 10th anniversary season at https://www.iowawild.com/wild-365.
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