ROCKFORD, IL – The Iowa Wild found themselves trailing by a goal entering the third period, but found the equalizer on the power-play, then earned the victory in a shootout over the Rockford IceHogs on Friday, 3-2. Jesper Wallstedt made 37 saves to earn the victory and Steven Fogarty and Brandon Baddock delivered the goals.

This contest was scoreless through nearly 10 minutes, but Baddock gave Iowa the lead at 9:55. Rockford came with speed into the Iowa zone, but a great defensive play knocked the puck off the stick of the IceHogs player, sending the Wild back the other direction. Kevin Conley dumped the puck along the boards into the corner, where he outraced a Rockford defenseman for the puck. He passed it out to Turner Ottenbreit, who took a shot that Mitchell Weeks saved. However, the puck came right to Baddock, who slipped a backhander through the five hole for his first goal of the year.

The lead held for just under two minutes before the IceHogs tied the score. Rockford was doing a great job of maintaining the puck inside the Iowa end. Isaak Phillips lifted a wrist shot from the point that Brett Seney tipped past Wallstedt for his 11th goal of the year.

In the second, Josiah Slavin gave the IceHogs the lead, scoring a shorthanded goal just after the 10-minute mark. A bad deflection off the glass at the Rockford blueline put the puck right on to the stick of Cole Guttman, who led a 2-on-2 into the Iowa zone. He fired a shot that Wallstedt saved, knocking in into the air where Slavin knocked it down with his hand, then tucked a backhander in for his first goal of the year.

The IceHogs continued to hold that one goal advantage through the first 13 minutes of the third period, but Fogarty use the power-play to tie the score at two, netting his sixth goal of the year. Joe Hicketts moved the puck along the blueline to Fogarty, who moved in about 5 feet above the right face-off circle before lifting a wrist shot that beat Weeks.

The game remained tied through the remainder of the third and through the extra session, sending it to a shootout. Neither team was able to score in the first two rounds, but Adam Beckman and Lukas Reichel each scored in Round 3. That added one additional round, where Fogarty would be the hero once again, scoring on a nice move to give Iowa a 3-2 victory.

The win moved the Iowa wild (10 to-8-4) one point ahead of the Manitoba Moose in the Central Division standings and two points behind the Rockford IceHogs (12-7-2). These teams will meet again on Saturday. The puck drops at 7:00.

Gamesheet

by Robert Pannier