IOWA FALLS AT HOME TO GRAND RAPIDS 5-2
Mar 26, 2021
DES MOINES, IA - Iowa Wild (4-9-2-0; 10 pts.) fell to the Grand Rapids Griffins (8-3-2-0; 18 pts.) by a final score of 5-2 Friday night in front of a crowd of 3,377 people at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Griffins’ power play capitalized on their first man-advantage of the game at 9:27 of the first period. Forward Dominic Turgeon beat Wild goaltender Hunter Jones (20 saves) from the left circle making it 1-0 Grand Rapids.
At the end of the first period, the Griffins led 1-0 and outshot the Wild 8-6.
Forward Taro Hirose cashed in on an Iowa turnover in front of their own net to double the lead for Grand Rapids at 5:40 of the second period, 2-0.
Wild defenseman Keaton Thompson got Iowa on the board at 13:58 of the second period. Forward Gerry Mayhew made a drop pass at the right circle, where linemate Luke Johnson spun and centered to Thompson who sent a backhand shot past Griffins’ goaltender Kevin Boyle (27 saves).
Grand Rapids extended their lead with a finish from forward Riley Barber at 15:49 of the second period, making it 3-1 Griffins.
After two periods of play, Grand Rapids held the lead 3-1. The Wild edged the Griffins in shots during the second frame 16-10 and led in total shots 22-18 through 40 minutes.
Another power play goal for Grand Rapids made it 4-1 as Chase Pearson hammered home a loose puck in the slot at 5:31 of the third period.
Iowa forward Jarrett Burton tallied his first goal as a member of the Wild at 9:24 of the third stanza. Defenseman Matt Bartkowski’s shot was knocked down in front of the net, Burton pounced on the loose puck and slung a wrist shot to the top left corner. Forward Tyler Sheehy got credit for the second assist on the goal to make it 4-2.
Grand Rapids sealed the evening with an empty-net goal from Hirose at 19:15 of the last period of play to bring the final score to 5-2.
Iowa ended the night 0-1 on the power play and Grand Rapids went 2-3 on the man-advantage. The Wild and the Griffins tied 7-7 in shots during the third period and Iowa finished with the lead in total shots 29-25.
Iowa and Grand Rapids meet again Saturday, Mar. 27 at Wells Fargo Arena to finish the weekend series. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. CT.
Iowa Wild hockey is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.iowawild.com.
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