Chicago Wolves go overtime to win first game of the season

The Chicago Wolves recorded their first victory of the 2026-27 American Hockey League season when they tipped the Iowa Wild 2-1 in overtime Saturday night at Allstate Arena.

Josiah Slavin scored the winner and Aleksi Heimosalmi added a goal to propel the Wolves to the win in the first of back-to-back games between the Central Division rivals.

After a scoreless opening period, the Wolves struck first on Heimosalmi’s power-play goal early in the second. The defenseman corralled a feed from Pierre-Olivier Joseph deep in the offensive zone, took his time and wired a shot from the right dot that sailed past Iowa netminder Riley Mercer. Joseph had the lone assist on Heimosalmi’s first marker of the season.

Late in the third, the Wild's Mason Shaw scored to even the score at 1-1 and send the game to overtime.