WILD DROP SERIES FINALE TO MILWAUKEE, 6-3
Dec 14, 2021
DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Wild (9-10-2-1; 21 pts.) fell to the Milwaukee Admirals (10-12-1-0; 21 pts.) by a score of 6-3. Wild forward Joseph Cramarossa scored twice, and Iowa defenseman Joe Hicketts added a goal and an assist in the loss.
In the first period, Milwaukee forward Mathieu Olivier beat Wild goaltender Hunter Jones (16 saves) on a shorthanded breakaway chance to give the Admirals a 1-0 lead at 4:41 of the first period.
At the end of the first stanza, Milwaukee led 1-0 on the scoreboard and the Wild and Admirals were tied 9-9 in shots.
Admirals forward Cole Schneider scored on a rebound chance at 1:01 of the second period to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead.
Wild defenseman Joe Hicketts gathered in a pass from Iowa forward Mason Shaw and fired a wrist shot from just above the left circle past Admirals goaltender Connor Ingram (41 saves) at 4:29 of the second period. Shaw and Wild forward Marco Rossi assisted on the goal. Hicketts’ goal made the score 2-1 in favor of Milwaukee.
Schneider scored his second goal of the game on another second-chance opportunity directly in front of Jones to extend the Admirals lead to 3-1 at 6:31 of the second period.
Admirals forward Cody Glass scored on a rebound chance to the left of Jones at 8:44 of the second period to give the Admirals a 4-1 lead.
Milwaukee carried their 4-1 lead into the second intermission despite being outshot 16-11 in the second period and 25-20 overall.
Wild rookie goaltender Trevin Kozlowski (4 saves), recently recalled from the Iowa Heartlanders, replaced Jones to begin the third period.
Cramarossa cut the Admirals lead to 4-2 with a shot past Ingram from the left circle at 7:23 of the third period. Cramarossa’s first goal of the night was assisted by Wild forward Nick Swaney and Wild defenseman Keaton Thompson.
Milwaukee forward Joseph LaBate scored on a partial breakaway at 10:31 of the third period to put the Admirals up 5-2.
With Milwaukee on the penalty kill, Admirals forward Anthony Richard put a shot from the right faceoff dot in the Iowa end past Kozlowski to give Milwaukee a 6-2 lead.
Cramarossa worked his way through center ice, briefly lost the puck in the high slot and put a wrist shot past Ingram on the power play at 16:24 of the third period to cut the Milwaukee lead to 6-3. Swaney and Hicketts recorded assists on the power play tally.
Milwaukee held their 6-3 lead through the end of the game. The Wild outshot the Admirals 19-6 in the third period and 44-26 overall.
Iowa was 1-for-11 on the power play and Milwaukee was 0-for-4 on the night. The Admirals scored two shorthanded goals in the contest.
On Friday, Dec. 17, the Wild are back in action at Wells Fargo Arena where they play the Manitoba Moose at 7 p.m. CT.
Iowa Wild hockey is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.iowawild.com. Fans can purchase single-game tickets through the team’s website at www.iowawild.com. Group tickets (10 or more), suites, Wild 365 memberships or premium tickets can be purchased by contacting the Iowa Wild Ticket Department at 515-564-8700 or tickets@iowawild.com.
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