DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Wild (12-27-3-3, 30 points) defeated the Charlotte Checkers (25-13-2-2, 53 points) 5-4 in OT in front of 8,624 fans at Wells Fargo Arena on Friday night. Wild forward Grayson Downing scored at 2:13 of overtime, capping off a come-from-behind victory on a record-breaking night for the Wild. Right Wing 
Christoph Bertschy tallied three goals, including the game-tying goal with 58 seconds remaining for the first hat trick in Iowa Wild history. Forward Jordan Schroeder had four assists, breaking a franchise record for most assists and points in one game. Iowa goalie Jeremy Smith (5-13-3) made 28 saves on 32 shots in the win. Checkers defensemen Trevor Carrick and Ryan Murphy, as well as forwards Patrick Brown and Brendan Woods, each scored a goal in the Charlotte loss. Checkers goalie Daniel Altshuller (9-2-2) made 38 saves on 43 shots in the defeat. The two teams faceoff Saturday for a matinee rematch at 12:30 P.M. at Wells Fargo Arena.
Checkers forward Patrick Brown scored at 16:26 of the first period, helping Charlotte grab a 1-0 lead. Defenseman Jake Chelios and forward Brendan Woods each tallied an assist on the opening goal. Chelios corralled the puck at the point and threw a shot towards the net. Crashing the net, Brown redirected the puck past goalie Jeremy Smith for his sixth goal of the season.
Wild forward Christoph Bertschy tied the game 1-1 just 1:23 into the second period. Forward Jordan Schroeder and defenseman Christian Folin setup the goal. Folin fired a pass to Schroeder from the right point. Schroeder redirected the pass to the slot, leaving goalie Daniel Altshuller out of position. Skating through the slot, Bertschy one-timed the puck into the open net for his fifth goal of the season. Charlotte defenseman Trevor Carrick scored at 6:28 of the period, regaining a 2-1 lead. Defenseman Keegan Lowe picked up the lone assist. Carrick took a pass from Lowe and walked the puck in from the point, beating Smith with a low wrist shot on the glove side for his ninth goal of the season. Checkers defenseman Ryan Murphy scored at 7:12 of the period, building Charlotte’s lead to 3-1. Murphy ripped a shot through traffic in front of the net, bouncing the puck off a Wild defender and into the net for his fifth goal of the season. Defenseman Rasmus Rissanen and left wing Kyle Hagel each tallied an assist on the goal. Wild forward Zack Mitchell answered with a goal of his own at 7:51, cutting the Checkers lead to 3-2. Mitchell carried the puck down the right side and wristed a low shot underneath the glove of Altshuller for his 14th goal of the season. Bertschy scored his second goal of the night at 19:01 of the period, tying the game 3-3. Schroeder earned his second assist of the night and forward Grayson Downing tallied an assist as well. Bertschy was denied by Altshuller on his first scoring attempt but flipped the rebound over the goalie’s shoulder for his sixth goal of the season.
Checkers forward Brendan Woods scored at 18:27 of the third period, giving Charlotte a 4-3 lead. Center Brody Sutter tallied an assist on the play. Sutter won an offensive-zone faceoff back to Woods and he fired a wrist shot from the right circle, beating Smith over the glove for his seventh goal of the season. Bertschy scored at 19:04 of the period, tying the game 4-4. Forwards Tyler Graovac and Jordan Schroeder each picked up an assist on Bertschy’s third goal of the game, giving him his first career hat trick. Bertschy flew into the offensive zone, firing a wrist shot from the left boards. He found the upper-right corner, beating Altshuller for his seventh goal of the season.
Wild forward Grayson Downing scored a shorthanded goal at 2:13 of overtime, giving Iowa a 5-4 victory. Schroeder tallied his fourth assist of the night on the goal and defenseman Mike Reilly picked up an assist as well. Schroeder wristed the puck on net from the right boards and Downing tipped the puck past Altshuller for his 12th goal of the season.
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