IOWA BEATS CLEVELAND 4-1 FOR FIRST VICTORY OF 2018
Jan 7, 2018Wild defenseman Nick Seeler scores first professional goal in the win
DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa Wild (16-12-6-3; 41 points) defeated Cleveland Monsters (10-17-3-3; 26 pts.) 4-1 in front of 4,500 fans at Wells Fargo Arena for the team’s first victory of 2018.
Wild defenseman Nick Seeler registered his first professional goal at 6:23 in the third period. Manning the blueline, Seeler corralled a pass from forward Landon Ferraro and avoided a sliding Monsters defender before unleashing a shot on net. His wrister blew past Cleveland goaltender Mattis Kivlenieks (32 saves), bounced off the cross-bar and into the back of the net to give the Wild the 3-1 lead.
Iowa opened the scoring 14 minutes into the first period thanks to a wrist shot from center Cal O’Reilly. O’Reilly pressured the Cleveland defense into a turnover, which bounced off defenseman Ryan Murphy and right to O’Reilly. He skated into the slot and ripped his shot into the back of the net for his first goal in 16 games.
At the end of the first period, the Wild held a 1-0 lead on the scoreboard and a 10-6 lead in shots.
Wild forward Sam Anas made it 2-0 at 16:59 in the second period when he rifled a shot from the slot, beating Kivlenieks high glove side. Wild forward Justin Kloos, who received a pass from defenseman Alex Grant, carried the puck low and hit Anas with a tape-to-tape backhand pass and the quick shot from Anas doubled Iowa’s lead.
With the Wild up 2-0, Iowa headed into the third period with a 18-11 shot advantage.
After Seeler’s first professional goal, Cleveland broke up Wild goaltender Steve Michalek’s (15 saves) shutout bid with a goal at 12:44 in the final stanza when forward Blake Siebenaler scored his second goal of the season.
Wild defenseman Brennan Menell iced the game when he launched a shot from the Wild’s defensive zone all the way down the ice and into the empty-net to give the hosts a 4-1 lead. O’Reilly registered an assist on the goal for his seventh multi-point night of the season.
The Wild finished the game with a 36-16 shot advantage, the largest positive shot differential for Iowa this season.
Iowa travels up to Manitoba Jan. 13 and 14 for two road games against the best team in the AHL. Both games feature a 2:00 p.m. puck drop.
The Iowa Wild 2017-18 season is presented by Mercy Medical Center and runs from October through April. For more information, please contact the Wild office by calling 515-564-8700 or by visiting iowawild.com.