IOWA EARNS THRILLING 4-3 VICTORY AGAINST SAN JOSE
Jan 18, 2020-Forward Dmitry Sokolov scores two goals in the win-
Iowa Wild (23-14-3-2; 51 pts.) erased a two-goal deficit as the team defeated the San Jose Barracuda (14-20-1-2; 31 pts.) a score of 4-3 in overtime Saturday evening.
With just one minute remaining in overtime, defenseman Louie Belpedio had the puck at the right half-boards and proceeded to circle through the offensive zone. As he cut toward the goal line on the left side of the ice, he lofted a shot off his backhand and beat goaltender Zachary Sawchenko (37 saves) over his right shoulder to clinch the 4-3 victory for the Wild.
San Jose took a 1-0 lead just 62 seconds into the contest as forward Evan Weinger potted a shorthanded goal. Weinger picked up a loose puck in his own zone raced down the ice for a breakaway. He managed to slip the puck between the legs of Mat Robson (23 saves) for his seventh of the season.
The Barracuda then doubled its lead to 2-0 as forward Dylan Gambrell netted his third goal of the season at 9:24 in the opening stanza. Forward Noah Gregor sent a pass to the far post and his feed deflected off the stick of defenseman Matt Bartkowski and then Gambrell’s stick before finding the back of the net.
Forward Dmitry Sokolov cut into San Jose’s lead as he made it a 2-1 game at 16:32 in the first period. Forward Connor Dewar won a draw at the right dot and Sokolov corralled the loose puck before rifling a shot past Sawchenko glove side for his 10th of the season.
At the end of the first period, San Jose led 2-1 with Iowa owning a 16-8 shot advantage.
The Wild knotted the game at 2-2 as forward Kyle Rau scored his ninth of the season, coming at 4:23 in the second period. Forward Luke Johnson sent a pass to forward Will Bitten inside the left circle, who then threaded a pass to forward Kyle Rau at the right post. Rau kicked the puck from his skates to his stick and then buried a shot into the open net for the tally.
Sokolov scored his second of the game with the Wild on the power play to give the home side a 3-2 lead at 17:17 in the second period. Standing at the top of the right circle, Sokolov one-timed a pass from Belpedio and beat Sawchenko stick side for the score. Forward Nico Sturm logged the secondary assist on the play.
Heading into the third period, Iowa led 3-2 and led in shots 26-16.
San Jose evened the game at 3-3 with just 1:35 remaining in the third period as forward Jacob Middleton recorded the Barracuda’s second shorthanded goal of the contest. Middleton caught a pass Gregor as he entered the Wild’s zone and snapped a shot over Robson’s glove for his first tally of the season.
With the score tied at 3-3, the two teams headed to overtime, where Belpedio sealed the 4-3 victory for the Wild. Iowa outshot San Jose 41-26 and finished the contest 1-for-5 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
Sokolov’s two tallies extended his goal streak to four games and point streak to five, both of which are career-highs for the winger. His four-game goal streak is also tied for the longest active streak in the AHL and since Jan. 11, his five tallies rank second among all skaters in the league.
Iowa completes its three-game homestand with an afternoon matinee against the Texas Stars Monday. Puck drop is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
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.