HAMMOND AND ROSSI LEAD WILD TO 3-2 OVERTIME VICTORY OVER EAGLES
Dec 29, 2021
DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Wild (11-10-2-1; 25 pts.) defeated the Colorado Eagles (11-11-3-2; 27 pts.) in overtime on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at Wells Fargo Arena by a score of 3-2. Iowa goaltender Andrew Hammond made 31 saves and Wild forward Marco Rossi scored twice to give Iowa their second win in a row.
On the power play, Iowa forward Matt Boldy collected his own rebound in the right circle of the Wild offensive end and wired a pass into the goal crease of Eagles goaltender Peyton Jones (30 saves). Boldy’s pass was directed in by Wild forward Kyle Rau at 12:13 of the first period. Boldy and Rossi were credited with assists on the goal that gave Iowa a 1-0 lead.
At the end of the first period, Iowa led Colorado 1-0 on the scoreboard and held a 13-7 lead in shots.
At 14:30 of the second period, Colorado defenseman Nate Clurman sent home a rebound chance to the right of Hammond to tie the game at 1-1.
After the second stanza, the Wild and the Eagles were knotted up at one goal apiece and Colorado led 23-19 in shots. Shots in the second period were 16-6 in favor of the Eagles.
Just 38-seconds into the third period, Colorado defenseman Rob Hamilton found the back of the Wild net with a wrist shot from the left point that deflected in past Hammond to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead.
Down by one goal with 1:07 remaining in the game, Iowa pulled Hammond for the extra attacker after drawing a penalty to give the Wild a six-on-four advantage. On the power play, Rossi took a pass from Wild defenseman Dakota Mermis at the left point, walked in and fired a wrist shot from the top of the left circle past Jones to tie the game with 28-seconds to go in the third period. Mermis and Boldy recorded assists on Rossi’s first goal of the night.
At the end of regulation, the Wild and the Eagles surged into overtime tied 2-2. Iowa outshot Colorado 12-10 in the third period and the Eagles led 33-31 in shots through three periods.
In overtime, Rossi drew a penalty on a breakaway at 1:10 of the period that led to a penalty shot opportunity. He went right to left on his forehand, outwaited Jones and lifted the puck over the Eagles goaltender and into the net to give the Wild a 3-2 overtime victory.
Iowa was 2-for-4 and Colorado was 0-for-4 on the power play on the night.
Next up, the Wild stay home at Wells Fargo Arena for another tilt with the Eagles on Friday, Dec. 31. Puck drop is set for 2 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.
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