WILD FALL TO THE SILVER KNIGHTS, 6-5
Nov 28, 2021
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Iowa Wild (9-5-1-0; 19 pts.) fell to the Henderson Silver Knights (8-6-1-1; 18 pts.) by a score of 6-5. Iowa forward Connor Dewar scored twice in the contest as he recorded his second career three point game. Four third period tallies and three in the final three minutes of the game lifted Henderson over Iowa.
Henderson forward Colt Conrad wristed a puck from the top of the left circle past Wild goaltender Dereck Baribeau (24 saves) at 4:21 of the first period to give Henderson a 1-0 lead.
Wild forward Mason Shaw evened the game at one with a wrist shot following a patient hold and drag to the right of Silver Knights goaltender Logan Thompson (44 saves) at 12:06 of the first period. Iowa forward Connor Dewar was credited with an assist on Shaw’s goal.
Silver Knights forward Jonas Rondbjerg scored a power play goal on a rebound chance to the left of Baribeau at 18:10 of the first period to give Henderson a 2-1 lead.
Henderson took their 2-1 lead into the first intermission, despite being outshot 13-11 by the Wild in the first stanza.
On the power play, Iowa forward Kyle Rau slid a pass from the top of the left circle onto the stick of Wild defenseman Dakota Mermis, who fired a one-timer past Thompson to tie the game 2-2 at 6:45 of the second period. Rau was the only Iowa player to record an assist on the play.
Just under five minutes after Mermis’ goal, Dewar stepped into the top of the left circle and wired a wrist shot past Thompson on the power play at 11:41 of the second period. Dewar’s goal was assisted by both Mermis and Rau and gave the Wild a 3-2 lead.
At the end of two periods of play, the Wild held a 3-2 lead and led 32-18 in total shots. Iowa outshot Henderson 19-7 in the second period.
Dewar scored his second consecutive goal of the game at 6:42 of the third period after he and Wild forward Will Bitten created a turnover in the neutral zone. Dewar busted into the offensive end and blew a snap shot by Thompson to give Iowa a 4-2 lead. Bitten was credited with an assist on the play.
A short while later, Wild captain Cody McLeod pushed a puck through a chaotic traffic jam in front of the Henderson net and past Thompson to give the Wild a 5-2 lead. Mermis and Iowa forward Dominic Turgeon recorded assists on Iowa’s fifth goal of the game.
Less than four minutes later, Henderson forward Pavel Dorofeyev scored as he capitalized on some good fortune. A Wild clearing attempt went off a glass stanchion and bounced directly in front of the Iowa net. Dorofeyev’s goal came on the power play at 12:17 of the third period and made the score 5-3 in favor of Iowa.
After pulling Thompson for the extra attacker with three minutes left in the game, Silver Knights forward Ben Jones tapped in a pass from Henderson forward Matt Boudens at 17:11 of the third period to make the score 5-4 Wild.
With Thompson once again on the bench for the extra attacker, Rondbjerg scored his second goal of the game on a wrist shot just underneath the right faceoff dot to tie the game at five goals apiece.
With both teams at even strength after Henderson tied the game with the extra attacker, Silver Knights centerman Jake Leschyshyn finished a rebound chance to give Henderson a 6-5 lead at 18:49 of the third period.
Iowa pulled Baribeau for the extra attacker with 1:11 remaining in the game but could not score to send the game to overtime, giving Henderson a 6-5 win to close out the weekend series.
Shots in the third period were 17-12 in favor of the Wild and Iowa led 49-30 in total shots at the conclusion of the game. Both the Wild and Silver Knights were two for six on the power play in the contest.
The Wild play the Chicago Wolves in Chicago on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. Faceoff is set for 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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