DES MOINES, IA – The Iowa Wild (15-29-3-3, 36 points) were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins (27-18-1-1, 54 points) 4-3 in front of 7,482 fans on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena. Griffins defenseman Joel Chouinard scored with 2:59 remaining in the third period, pushing Grand Rapids past Iowa. Griffins goalie Jared Coreau (6-9-0) made 28 saves on 31 shots in the victory. Defensemen Ryan Sproul as well as forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Louis-Marc Aubry scored a goal each in the Griffins victory. Iowa goalie Steve Michalek (3-1-0) made 34 saves on 38 shots in the defeat. Forwards Zack Mitchell, Kurtis Gabriel, and Grayson Downing scored a goal each in the Iowa loss. Iowa hosts Grand Rapids on Saturday for a rematch at 7 p.m.
Iowa center Grayson Downing scored at 10:54 of the first period, grabbing a 1-0 lead. Defenseman Gustav Olofsson and forward Jordan Schroeder each tallied an assist on the power-play goal. Schroeder’s assist extended his point streak to eight games. Downing flew into the offensive zone and ripped a wrist shot from the left circle. The puck beat goalie Jared Coreau on the glove side for Downing’s 14th goal of the season. Griffins forward Tyler Bertuzzi tied the game 1-1 at 13:00 of the period. Veteran Daniel Cleary picked up the lone assist on the goal. Bertuzzi won a battle for the puck in the right corner. The forward wristed a shot on net, beating goalie Steve Michalek high on the near side for his fifth goal of the season. Grand Rapids center Louis-Marc Aubry scored at 16:49 of the period, grabbing a 2-1 Griffins lead. Right wing Colin Campbell picked up the lone assist. Campbell caused a turnover behind the Iowa net and centered a pass to Aubry at the front of the net. Aubry wristed the puck under Michalek’s arm and into the net for his ninth goal of the season.
Wild forward Zack Mitchell scored at 8:11 of the second period, tying the game 2-2. Olofsson tallied his second assist of the night and center Tyler Graovac picked up an assist of his own. Olofsson handled the puck at the point, throwing a shot towards the net. Standing at the back door, Mitchell tapped the puck into the open goal for his 18th of the season. Defenseman Ryan Sproul scored at 17:17 of the second period, helping the Griffins grab a 3-2 lead. Defenseman Brian Lashoff and left wing Anthony Mantha each tallied an assist on the goal. Lashoff corralled the puck at the left circle and fed Sproul with a cross-ice pass. Sproul wristed a shot from the right face-off dot and over Michalek’s glove for his sixth goal of the season. Wild forward Kurtis Gabriel tied the game 3-3 with 57 seconds remaining in the second period. Forward Brett Sutter and defenseman Zach Palmquist each tallied an assist on the goal. Gabriel provided a screen in front of the net for a Palmquist shot from the point. Gabriel was able to find the puck in the slot and lift it into the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
Grand Rapids defenseman Joel Chouinard scored at 17:01 of the third period, giving the Griffins a 4-3 lead. Russo and Campbell each tallied their second assist of the night on the goal. Chouinard took a pass from Campbell and one-timed a slapshot from the point, beating Michalek for his first goal of the season.
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