IOWA FALLS TO SAN DIEGO 4-1 SATURDAY NIGHT
Feb 3, 2019-Wild forward Luke Kunin scores lone goal for Iowa-
Iowa Wild (24-16-4-3; 55 pts.) was handed its third consecutive loss as the team fell to the San Diego Gulls (24-13-2-3; 53 pts.) by a score of 4-1 Saturday night.
San Diego took a 1-0 lead when defenseman Andy Welinski potted his sixth goal of the season at 3:52 in the first period. While on the power play, forward Ben Street took a shot that was blocked in front of goaltender Andrew Hammond (30 saves). Forward Kalle Kossila picked up the blocked shot then shuttled the puck to Welinski on the back door, who beat Hammond stick side for the tally.
The Gulls then doubled its lead with an unassisted goal from forward Max Jones at 5:39 in the opening frame to make it a 2-0 game. Hammond went behind the net to handle a loose puck and got tangled up with the San Diego forecheck. Jones emerged with the puck and slammed it home into the open net for his 13th of the season.
Forward Luke Kunin cut San Diego’s lead to 2-1 with his ninth of the season at 15:05 in the first period. With a scramble in front of Gulls goaltender Kevin Boyle (24 saves), Kunin poked the puck into the back of the net for the score. Forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Kyle Rau earned assists on the play.
At the end of the first period, San Diego held an 11-7 shot advantage and a 2-1 lead.
A scoreless second saw the game head into the third period with San Diego leading 2-1 and holding an 18-17 shot advantage.
Forward Chase De Leo ended the scoring drought with a tally just 61 seconds into the third period, giving the hometown team a 3-1 lead. After a shot from the point was stopped by Hammond, forward Justin Kloos tapped the puck to De Leo in the slot. De Leo beat the sliding Hammond for his 11th of the season, with defenseman Simon Benoit registering the secondary assist.
San Diego added an empty-netter by forward Sam Steel at 19:12 in the third period to take the 4-1 lead. Kloos recorded his second assist of the game as the Gulls handed the Wild its third consecutive loss.
Iowa finished the game 0-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill. San Diego ended the game with a 34-25 shot advantage.
The Wild completes its three-game road trip with a contest against the San Jose Barracuda Tuesday evening. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. CT.
The Iowa Wild 2018-19 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.