ST. PAUL, MINN. – Iowa goaltender C.J. Motte (36 saves) stopped every puck thrown his way as the Wild defeated the Tucson Roadrunners 2-0 at TRIA Rink Saturday afternoon.
A frenzied game in all three periods, the two squads held each other scoreless through the first 55 minutes of the game. It wasn’t until Iowa forward Mitch McLain finally knocked a puck past Tucson goaltender Adin Hill (20 saves) at 15:45 in the final frame did a team break through. McLain’s goal came on the power play when he batted the puck into the back of the net off a pass from forward Gerry Mayhew. Forward Gerry Fitzgerald also recorded an assist on the play, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead.
Trailing 1-0, Tucson pulled Hill for the extra attacker and at 18:46 in the third period, forward Landon Ferraro slid the puck into the empty net while fighting off a backchecker for the insurance goal. Forward Colton Beck sent Ferraro the leading pass, getting the primary assist.
The 2-0 score held and Iowa left TRIA Rink with the victory.
Through the first period, Iowa held a 12-10 shot advantage and a 27-18 shot advantage after two periods. When the game ended, Iowa outshot Tucson 36-22.
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