EARLY ROCKFORD OUTBURST SINKS IOWA 6-1
Mar 22, 2021
ROCKFORD, Ill. - Iowa Wild (4-8-2-0; 10 pts.) couldn’t recover from three goals against in the opening nine minutes of play as the Rockford IceHogs (6-9-1-0; 13 pts.) topped Iowa 6-1 Monday night in Rockford, Ill. Wild forward Gerry Mayhew extended his goal streak to three games and now has four goals and an assist in his last three games played.
Rockford found the back of the net first at 2:24 of the first period on a two-on-one rush. Forward Reese Johnson sent a one-timer past Wild goaltender Hunter Jones (21 saves) to make it 1-0 IceHogs.
The IceHogs stretched their early lead to 2-0 with a goal from forward Chris Wilkie at 5:22 of the opening period.
After heading to their first power play of the game, Iowa allowed their third goal in the opening nine minutes of play. Wilkie finished a shorthanded two-man break to make it 3-0 IceHogs at 8:43 of the first stanza.
Iowa cut the lead to 3-1 with a goal from Mayhew. The reigning AHL MVP dashed past a Rockford defenseman at the IceHogs’ blue line, cruised in alone and lifted the puck past the glove of Rockford goaltender Cale Morris (38 saves). Forward Damien Giroux collected the lone assist on the power play goal at 15:53 of the first period.
At the end of the first frame, Rockford led 3-1, despite being outshot 18-8 by the Wild.
Rockford extended their lead to 4-1 with a power play goal from defenseman Nicolas Beaudin at 16:28 of the second period.
Through 40 minutes of action, Rockford sat on top 4-1. The Wild outshot the IceHogs 13-9 in the second stanza and led in total shots 31-17.
The third period went goalless until a stretch of 30 seconds saw Rockford strike twice. Johnson scored his second of the game at 16:59, followed by Beaudin’s second of the night at 17:29. The score stayed that way until the final buzzer, ending the affair 6-1 in favor of the IceHogs.
The Wild went 1-4 on the power play in the game and the IceHogs went 1-5 on their man-advantage opportunities. Rockford outshot Iowa in the third period 10-8, but the Wild ended the night with a 39-27 total lead in shots.
Iowa entertains the Grand Rapids Griffins for the first time this season on Friday, Mar. 26 at Wells Fargo Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. CT.
Iowa Wild hockey is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.iowawild.com. (Photo courtesy of Todd Reicher/Rockford IceHogs).
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