Iowa Wild Drop Shootout Thriller in Season Opener
October 15, 2022 – American Hockey League (AHL) – Iowa Wild News Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Wild and San Jose Barracuda treated 8,610 fans to a thriller in Friday’s season opener, with the Barracuda edging the Wild in a seven-round shootout by a score of 4-3. Iowa mounted a furious comeback to erase a three-goal deficit and secure a point in the first game of the team’s 10th anniversary season.
San Jose jumped out to an early lead thanks to a tally from Tristen Robins. Robins pounced on a loose puck at the Iowa blue line, skated to his right, and put the puck over the left pad of Jesper Wallstedt (22 saves) to give the Barracuda a 1-0 lead just 3:06 into the first period.
Thomas Bordeleau extended the lead for the Barracuda just minutes later when he beat Wallstedt short side at the 5:47 mark of the first period.
The two teams were tied at ten shots apiece after one period of play. San Jose led 3-0.
The Barracuda picked up where they left off to start the middle stanza. With San Jose on the power play, Scott Reedy tipped a point shot from Derrick Pouliot past a screened Wallstedt at 1:03 of the second period to put Iowa down 3-0.
Mason Shaw provided a crucial goal late in the second period to give the Wild life and make the score 3-1. Nic Petan found the Iowa captain wide open in the slot and Shaw pulled the puck to his backhand before roofing a shot past the sprawling Aaron Dell (36 saves) with 5:46 to play in the second.
Iowa led the shot count 20-16 after the second period and trailed 3-1.
Despite a sequence of power plays midway through the third, Iowa still trailed by two late in the period. Joseph Cramarossa pulled the Wild within one when he picked up the rebound of a Sammy Walker shot and tucked the puck around the right pad of Dell with 4:11 remaining.
Iowa tied the game at 3-3 minutes later thanks to Walker’s first professional goal. Walker picked a tipped puck off the pads of Dell and used his backhand to equalize the score and send the game to overtime.
The Wild finished regulation tied 3-3 and with 34 shots to San Jose’s 19.
Each team had several chances to win the game in overtime. Iowa killed off a penalty before threatening to score multiple times in the extra frame but ultimately could not find their way past Dell.
Petan scored in the second round of the shootout, but he was matched by Max Veronneau who tallied in the bottom of the second. It took until the seventh round for the Barracuda to finally solve Wallstedt, courtesy of Andrew Agozzino, who beat the Wild netminder along the ice to earn San Jose the extra point.
Iowa tallied 39 shots through regulation and overtime while the Barracuda totaled 26. The Wild went 0-for-7 on the power play. San Jose was 1-for-5 with the man advantage.
The Wild take on the Barracuda again on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena.
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