Wolves fall short in Wild finish
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Chicago Wolves watched two leads evaporate as they dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Iowa Wild in a back-and-forth Midwest Division battle at Wells Fargo Arena on Friday night.
Right wing Sebastian Wannstrom, defenseman Taylor Chorney and right wing Adam Cracknell tallied for the Wolves (26-16-3-2), while goaltender Matt Climie (6-8-0) kicked out 18 shots.
Following a scoreless first period, the Wild (20-16-5-4) struck early in the second to take the lead. Left wing Curt Gogol forced a turnover at the Wolves’ defensive blue line and fed the puck to right wing Jim McKenzie in front of the net. McKenzie deked and beat Climie with a backhand at 2:22 for a 1-0 lead.
The Wolves found the equalizer midway through the period as Wannstrom tied it off a faceoff. Center Christian Hanson won the draw and directed it toward the center of the zone. Wannstrom pounced and chipped it on net, evading goaltender John Curry as the puck deflected off a Wild defender’s stick and floated into the back of the net.
With 1:15 left in the period and on the penalty kill, the Wolves went ahead with a shorthanded goal. Chorney received a pass from forward Nathan Longpre in the low wall and streaked up the ice on a 2-on-1 break. Chorney looked to send a pass mid-offensive zone, lost the puck, then picked it up again and slid it past Curry (5-2-2, 32 saves).
The lead did not last long. The Wild knotted the score with 10.1 seconds left in the second period by winning a faceoff. center Warren Peters sent a backhander on net that slipped behind Climie.
The back-and-forth action continued in the third period when the Wolves and Wild exchanged goals in the first seven minutes. Cracknell buried a rebound from below the faceoff dot at 5:26 to put the Wolves up 3-2. Just 1:13 later, the Wild tied it on the man-advantage with a quick shot from left wing Kris Foucault.
Forward Justin Mercier sealed the Wild’s win 1:59 into overtime when he snuck behind the Wolves’ defense to tap in a pass from defenseman Steven Kampfer.
The Wolves travel to Milwaukee on Sunday for a 1 p.m. matchup. The Wolves return to home ice after the all-star break with an Amtrak Rivalry contest at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, against Milwaukee at Allstate Arena.