GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Iowa Wild (14-18-2-1, 31 points) were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins (21-8-1-2, 45 points) 6-5 on Wednesday night in front of 8,515 fans at Van Andel Arena. The Western Conference leaders outlasted the Wild in a game that featured 11 total goals and numerous rallies from a resilient Iowa squad. Grand Rapids forwards Ben Street and Tomas Nosek each had two goals and an assist in the win. Griffins’ goalie Eddie Pasquale (7-2-3) made 23 saves as Grand Rapids 
extended its streak to ten straight games at home with at least a point over Iowa (9-0-0-1). Wild forwards Christoph Bertschy and Teemu Pulkkinen each had a goal and an assist in the road defeat. Iowa goalie Alex Stalock (9-10-2) stopped 27 shots in the defeat, the club’s fourth straight. Iowa continues its five-game road trip at 7 PM on Saturday at Manitoba.
The Griffins claimed a quick 1-0 lead with a strike at 5:07 by Ben Street. Defenseman Joe Hicketts snapped a cross-ice pass through center ice, connecting with Mitch Callahan on the right wing. Callahan carried the puck into the Iowa zone and slipped a pass to Ben Street in the slot. Street fired a wrist shot past Alex Stalock for his seventh goal of the season. Street scored from a similar spot less than two minutes later, a shorthanded goal that beat Stalock for a 2-0 Griffins lead at 7:02 of the first period. Defenseman Dan Renouf set up Street’s second goal of the game. Iowa countered quickly, cutting the deficit in half just 27 seconds later with a power-play goal by Zack Mitchell. As the Wild set up the power play, rookie Sam Anas swung the puck to the point for defenseman Zach Palmquist. He sent a shot towards the net and Mitchell tipped his second goal of the season past Eddie Pasquale at 7:29 to make it 2-1 after one period of play.
Griffins center Tomas Nosek potted a centering pass from behind the net at 3:52 of the second period, extending Grand Rapids lead to 3-1. Right wing Tyler Bertuzzi shifted the puck to the Iowa corner for Martin Frk. He slipped along the end wall and centered out front for Nozek’s 10th goal of the season. Iowa began a rally at 4:28 as Zac Dalpe scored his first goal of the season. Wild forwards Colton Beck and Christoph Bertschy worked the puck deep in the Griffins zone. Beck slipped the puck to the high slot for Dalpe, who beat Pasquale for the 3-2 Iowa deficit. Iowa tied the game at 10:48 off Bertschy’s third goal of the year. The Wild worked the puck from the right side to the left side. Defenseman Mike Reilly sent the puck to Mike Weber at the point. Weber snuck a pass to Berstchy, who ripped a slapshot past Pasquale for the 3-3 game. The Griffins regained the lead at 16:24 as Dominic Turgeon found a loose puck in the Iowa crease, jamming in a rebound for his third goal of the season. Nosek and defenseman Brian Lashoff each had the assist on the go-ahead goal. The Griffins capitalized off a power play at 19:26, pushing ahead 5-3 after Nosek slipped through traffic and lifted a shot over Stalock for his second of the game. Street and winger Eric Tangradi each had a hand in Nosek’s 11th goal of the season, as Grand Rapids carried a two-goal lead into the second intermission.
The Wild jumped right back into the game just 49 seconds into the final period, as Teemu Pulkkinen scored his 12th goal of the season, trimming the deficit to 5-4. Rookie Nick Saracino added the assist on Pulkkinen’s tally. The Griffins regained their two-goal edge at 7:41 of the period. Hicketts scored his fourth goal of the season from Matt Ford and Callahan for the 6-4 Grand Rapids lead. The Wild made it 6-5 just 51 seconds later as Grayson Downing scored at 8:31. Pulkkinen and defenseman Nick Seeler each had an assist on Downing’s sixth goal of the season.
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