IOWA’S SLIDE CONTINUES IN 4-1 LOSS TO TEXAS
Mar 30, 2019-Forward Dmitry Sokolov scores lone goal for the Wild-
DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa Wild (34-24-7-5; 80 pts.) dropped its fifth consecutive contest, falling to the Texas Stars (35-29-4-3; 77 pts.) by a score of 4-1 Saturday evening.
The two teams played a scoreless first period, with Texas holding a 14-8 shot advantage through 20 minutes of play.
Texas broke through at 8:05 in the second period to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Forward Nicholas Caamano potted his 11th of the season as he flipped a shot from his backhand that deflected off an Iowa defender, under the blocker of goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (24 saves) and into the back of the net.
Iowa tied the game at 1-1 when forward Dmitry Sokolov scored his 16th goal of the season. After getting a pass from defenseman Carson Soucy, Sokolov slipped the puck between the legs of a Stars defender to dodge a check, deked goaltender Jake Oettinger (23 saves) and then roofed the puck blocker side. Defenseman Brennan Menell also recorded an assist on the goal coming at 17:29 in the middle frame.
After two periods, the Wild and Stars were tied 1-1 with Texas outshooting Iowa 21-20.
Texas forward Brad McClure netted a natural hat trick to flip the game in the Stars’ favor in the third period. His first goal came at 9:58 when he beat Kahkonen blocker side from the slot with the sides playing 4-on-4. His second goal, just 94 seconds later, also came from a shot in the slot, where he rifled the puck over Kahkonen’s glove.
McClure completed the hat trick at 17:26 in the third period. McClure received a drop pass from forward Adam Mascherin at the right faceoff dot and skated around the net, tucking the puck behind the post for his seventh goal of the season. It was his first career hat trick.
At the final horn, Texas gave Oettinger his first pro win in his first pro start with the 4-1 victory, while the team outshot Iowa 28-24. Iowa went 0-for-4 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill.
Iowa closes out its homestand with a two-game series against the Tucson Roadrunners. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Tuesday evening.
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.