IOWA ENDS ROAD TRIP WITH 5-2 VICTORY AGAINST BAKERSFIELD
Jan 15, 2020-Anas, Mayhew move into first place in AHL in points with 42-
Iowa Wild (22-13-3-2; 49 pts.) earned a 5-2 victory against the Bakersfield Condors (16-15-4-1; 37 pts.) Tuesday night in a contest where forwards Gerry Mayhew and Sam Anas moved into the AHL lead in points with 42 and four Wild players recorded multi-point nights.
The Wild leaped out to a 1-0 lead just 53 seconds into the contest as forward Luke Johnson netted his eighth of the season. Defenseman Brennan Menell took a shot from the end boards, but after a save by goaltender Stuart Skinner (30 saves), the rebound found Johnson at the far post. With an open net, he buried his shot for the score.
Less than three minutes later, Bakersfield tied the game at 1-1. On the power play, defenseman Evan Bouchard caught a pass from forward Joe Gambardella and proceeded to skate the length of the ice. When he reached the Wild’s slot, Bouchard wristed a shot past goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (17 saves) blocker side for his seventh of the year.
With 50 seconds remaining in the first period, Menell added a goal to his assist as he gave Iowa a 2-1 lead. With the Wild on the man advantage, Anas found Menell at the top of the zone. The defenseman then blistered a one-timer past Skinner’s glove and into the back of the net for his fourth of the campaign. Johnson was credited with the secondary assist on the play.
Through 20 minutes of play, Iowa led 2-1 and had a 16-6 shot lead.
Mayhew then pushed the Wild’s lead to 3-1 with his 25th of the season, coming at 14:26 in the middle frame. Forward Dmitry Sokolov chipped a pass to Mayhew on the left side of the ice and he raced into the Condors' zone. Once he reached the right faceoff dot, he lasered a shot under the crossbar for the goal.
Heading into the third period, Iowa held a 3-1 lead and a 27-11 shot advantage.
The Wild added to its lead as Sokolov made it a 4-1 game when he scored his fifth point in the last three games with a tally at 3:21 in the third period. Quick passing by the Wild forwards near the Condors' net led to Sokolov eventually snapping a shot home for his eighth of the season. Mayhew and forward Nico Sturm earned the assists on the play.
Bakersfield added another power-play goal at 9:44 in the third period to cut Iowa’s lead to 4-2. Forward Markus Granlund threaded a pass through the zone and defenseman Logan Day one-timed a shot over Kahkonen’s shoulder for his fifth of the season.
Mayhew added an unassisted empty-net goal at 19:46 in the final frame to push his AHL lead in goals to 26 and give the Wild a 5-2 victory. Final shot totals favored Iowa 35-19.
Iowa finished the contest 1-for-3 on the power play and 1-for-3 on the penalty kill. Mayhew ended the game with three points (2g, 1a) and Anas with an assist, putting both players with 42 points, the most in the AHL.
With the win, Iowa finished its five-game road trip with a 3-1-1-0 record. The team returns home to Wells Fargo Arena for 12 of the team’s next 13 contests, starting with a game against the San Jose Barracuda Friday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 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.