ROSSI’S HAT TRICK POWERS WILD TO 6-2 WIN OVER GULLS
Mar 18, 2023
San Diego, Calif. – After the San Diego Gulls tied the game early in the second period, Marco Rossi responded with his first professional hat trick to power the Iowa Wild to a 6-2 road victory. Jesper Wallstedt made 34 saves in the win.
Brandon Baddock handed Iowa a 1-0 advantage 10:29 into the contest with a breakaway finish over the blocker of Gage Alexander (17 saves).
Mike O’Leary doubled the lead for the Wild with 6:36 remaining in the first period. O’Leary picked up a clearance by Damien Giroux and snapped a shot over the shoulder of Alexander.
Iowa carried the 2-0 lead into the first intermission. The Wild outshot the Gulls 13-3.
Michael Del Zotto pulled San Diego within a goal with a power-play marker 5:43 into the second period.
Brent Gates Jr. tied the game 1:15 later when he finished off a give-and-go with Brayden Tracey from the right circle.
Rossi restored Iowa’s lead with 6:56 to play in the second with a power-play goal. O’Leary freed a puck up for Nic Petan in the corner, who snapped the puck out to Rossi at the point. Rossi walked in and wired a wrister over the glove of Alexander to record his 14th goal of the season.
Iowa entered the second intermission with a 4-2 lead thanks to a goal with three seconds to play in the middle stanza. Petan fed a puck up the wall for Simon Johansson, who snapped a shot pass to the front of the net for Rossi to deflect home.
San Diego held a 22-19 shot advantage through two periods of play.
Rossi completed the hat trick 11:46 into the third period. Mitchell Balmas forced a turnover along the wall and threaded a pass through the seam for Rossi to finish past the blocker of Alexander.
Petan capped the scoring with an empty-net goal at 17:12 of the third to complete a three-point night.
The Gulls outshot the Wild 36-23. Iowa went 1-for-3 on the power play while San Diego was 1-for-5 with the man advantage
Iowa wraps up a four-game road swing against San Diego at Pechanga Arena on Tuesday, Mar. 21 at 9 p.m.
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