IOWA LOSES 5-1 TO SAN JOSE
Mar 5, 2020-Forward JT Brown scores lone goal for Wild-
Iowa Wild (36-17-4-3; 79 pts.) was defeated by the San Jose Barracuda (19-27-4-2; 44 pts.) by a score of 5-1 Wednesday night.
San Jose took a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest as forward Joachim Blichfeld scored his 16th of the season. Just as a 5-on-3 power play for the Barracuda transitioned into a 5-on-4, defenseman Trevor Carrick sent a pass from the blue line down low to forward Maxim Letunov. Letunov spun and fed Blichfeld with a behind-the-back pass to the back door, where he buried his shot.
At the end of the first period, San Jose led 1-0 as Iowa held an 11-10 shot lead.
The Barracuda doubled its lead as forward Evan Weinger made it a 2-0 game at 3:57 in the second period. Forward Ivan Chekhovich kicked a pass out into the high slot, where Weinger one-timed the pass over the glove of goaltender Mat Robson (26 saves) for his eighth of the campaign.
Heading into the third period, San Jose led 2-0 and owned a 22-18 shot advantage.
San Jose made it a 3-0 game just 1:41 into the third period as forward Jonny Brodzinski scored his third goal of the series. Forward Jeffrey Viel took a shot that was blocked by a Wild defender, but the rebound went directly to Brodzinski inside the right circle. There, he slipped a shot through Robson’s five-hole and into the net for the score.
Forward JT Brown got Iowa on the board with a power-play tally at 5:28 in the final frame. Defenseman Brennan Menell sent a pass to forward Sam Anas along the half-boards and he immediately shuttled the puck to Brown at the top of the right circle. Brown then one-timed Anas’ pass over the glove of Josef Korenar (33 saves) and into the back of the net for his 9th of the season.
San Jose pushed its lead to 5-1 as the team scored two goals in 25 seconds midway through the third period. Defenseman Nick DeSimone made it a 4-1 contest at 12:16 in the period as he skated in from the point and beat Robson short-side high and then Brodzinski scored his second of the game at 12:41, capitalizing on a Wild turnover in the slot to make it a 5-1 game.
At the final horn, San Jose skated away with a 5-1 victory, despite the Wild outshooting the Barracuda 34-31 in the contest. Iowa finished the game 1-for-6 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Iowa continues its road trip with a pair of contests against the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg, beginning Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 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