GAME PREVIEW – IOWA WILD AT ROCKFORD ICEHOGS
Dec 27, 2019Iowa Wild (16-11-2-2; 36 pts.) at Rockford IceHogs (17-11-0-1; 35 pts.)
In the first game back from the holiday break, Iowa and Rockford face off in a battle for second place in the Central Division, as the two teams are separated by just one point. Iowa has earned points in the team’s last four contests against Rockford, but its last win at BMO Harris Bank Center came on Nov. 7, 2018.
Last Game
The Wild extended its win streak to three games with a 4-3 overtime victory against the Grand Rapids Griffins on Dec. 21. Forward Will Bitten netted two goals and forward Kyle Rau also scored in regulation before forward Dmitry Sokolov tallied the game-winner in the extra frame. Goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen earned his 10th win of the season, stopping 31 of 34 shots in the contest.
WILD Notables
- Forward Kyle Rau is currently riding a six-game assist streak and eight-game point streak, which has included multi-point efforts in five of his last six contests.
- Since, Dec. 14, Rau’s nine points (1g, 8a) ranks second in the AHL and forward Will Bitten’s eight points (5g, 3a) ranks third.
- Iowa’s 16 points earned from overtime games lead the league and its 10 overtime games are tied for the most in the AHL.
- Iowa’s six wins when trailing after two periods leads the league.
ICEHOGS Notables
- Rockford fell to the Cleveland Monsters by a score of 3-2 on Dec. 21.
- Forward Tyler Sikura leads the IceHogs with 17 points (8g, 9a) in 29 games this season.
- Forward Joseph Cramarossa’s goal 30 seconds into the Dec. 21 game was the fastest tally by the IceHogs to start a game this season.
- Rockford has a negative shot differential against its opponents in the first, second and third periods this season.
The Iowa Wild 2019-20 regular 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.