ROCKFORD, Ill. – Iowa Wild (15-12-4-0, 34 pts.) blanked the Rockford IceHogs (11-17-1-0, 23 pts.) by a final score of 2-0 at BMO Harris Bank Center on Sunday afternoon. Iowa rookie goaltender Hunter Jones secured his second career pro shutout, stopping all 35 Rockford shots.
Iowa tallied the opening goal of the game for the fifth straight contest. Rookie forward Matt Boldy blasted a one-time shot past Rockford goaltender Matt Tomkins (29 saves) from the right circle to make it 1-0. The power play marker at 18:20 of the first period was assisted by forwards Connor Dewar and Will Bitten.
The first period ended with the Wild up 1-0 and shots on goal were tied, 10-10.
The Wild doubled their lead 42 seconds into the second period. Defenseman Matt Bartkowski broke up a Rockford offensive zone entry at the blueline and cleared the puck to center ice. Bitten caught Rockford in the midst of a line change and sped into the left circle of the IceHogs’ zone. Bitten’s shot went off Tomkins’ chest and forward Gabriel Dumont shoveled in the rebound, bringing the score to 2-0.
Iowa carried their 2-0 lead into the second intermission and outshot Rockford 13-12 during the second period. In total, the Wild held the edge in shots, 23-22, through 40 minutes of play.
Jones turned aside all 13 Rockford shots in the third period, concluding the final stanza of play with a scoreless 20 minutes of action. Iowa held their lead for a 2-0 final.
Rockford outshot Iowa 13-8 in the third period and in total, 35-31. The Wild power play went 1-5 on the night, while the IceHogs were 0-3 with the man-advantage. The season series finished in favor of the Wild, with a record of 6-3-1 against the IceHogs.
Iowa wraps up the 2020-21 campaign with three home games against the Texas Stars. Game one of the three-game set is on Wednesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. inside Wells Fargo Arena.
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