Wolves bounce back with 5-1 win

DES MOINES, Iowa - Less than 24 hours after losing by 4 goals at home to the Iowa Wild, the Chicago Wolves gained a measure of revenge with a 5-1 victory over Iowa on Sunday at Wells Fargo Arena.

Forward John McCarthy recorded his first 2-goal game for the Wolves (15-11-3-0) and added an assist. Forwards Rob Bordson, Shane Harper and Colin Fraser also scored goals, while Jordan Binnington stopped 27 of 28 shots to earn the win.

The Wolves opened the scoring just 50 seconds into the game as McCarthy claimed a loose puck at the red line and started a 2-on-1 with Bordson. McCarthy passed to Bordson across the slot and, when Bordson made the unselfish dish back to McCarthy, the puck banked off an Iowa defenseman's skate into the open net. Bordson received credit for his sixth goal.

Iowa (9-18-1-1) evened the score at 3:14 of the first when forward Zack Mitchell came from behind the net to redirect Jonathon Blum's centering pass from the right point.

The Wolves regained the lead with Harper's power-play goal at 11:11 of the second as Chicago moved the puck quickly with the man advantage. Pat Cannone's cross-ice pass set up Ty Rattie's rising blast from the right point that Harper redirected for his ninth goal.

Chicago boosted its margin to 3-1 in the opening minute of the third period when Benn Ferriero powered behind the net and tried to tuck a wraparound inside the right post. Instead, the puck came off Ferriero's stick, tapped McCarthy's right skate blade as he entered the crease and slid between Iowa goaltender Johan Gustafsson's legs.

McCarthy earned his second goal when he picked up an Iowa turnover at the blue line, raced in and blistered a wrist shot from the left faceoff dot past Gustafsson's glove. Fraser delivered the final blow when he whistled a shot from the Wolves' defensive zone into an empty net for a short-handed goal.

Binnington's record improved to 8-4-1, while Gustafsson (21 saves) dropped to 5-11-1.

The Wolves return to the Allstate Arena on Monday at 7 p.m. to face the Grand Rapids Griffins