DES MOINES, Iowa – Defenseman Andre Benoit’s tally in the sixth round of the shootout lifted the Chicago Wolves to a 3-2 victory over the Iowa Wild on Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
Forward Danny Kristo scored twice for the Wolves (32-35-5-3) during regulation while goaltender Pheonix Copley posted 41 saves during regulation and overtime before rejecting 5 of 6 shootout attempts.
The Wolves extended their winning streak on Iowa’s home ice to a franchise-record 12 games.
Iowa (24-40-5-6) got on the board 13:33 into the first period as rookie Hunter Warner flew into the Wolves zone, drew the lone defenseman and dished the puck back to Scott Sabourin for a quick flip into the net.
The Wolves pulled even on Kristos’ power-play goal at 15:45 of the first. Kristo held the puck low in the left circle and centered it toward the slot, where it banked past Iowa goaltender Steve Michalek for a 1-1 knot.
Iowa answered with Zack Mitchell’s power-play goal 4:31 of the second period. Set up above the hashmarks in the slot, Mitchell redirected a Mike Reilly blast into the top left corner of the net to give the Wild a 2-1 edge.
Chicago again erased the deficit as Kristo collected a pass from Cannone at his own blue line and took advantage of a breakaway for a shorthanded goal at 10:41 of the second.
Kristo tallied first in the shootout, but Iowa’s Grayson Downing delayed Chicago’s celebration with a goal in the third round. Benoit then authored a fierce wrister from the circles to earn the win.
With 41 saves, Pheonix Copley (15-16-3) posted his second-highest total of the year. Michalek (7-5-2) finished with 23 saves.
The Wolves wrap up the regular season against Iowa at 7 p.m. Saturday with First Responders Night, presented by Turtle Wax, at Allstate Arena. To find the best ticket deals, visit ChicagoWolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.
WOLVES 3, WILD 2 (SO)
Chicago 1 1 0 0 1 — 3
Iowa 1 1 0 0 0 — 2
First Period—1, Iowa, Sabourin 4 (Warner, Gabriel), 13:33; 2, Chicago, Kristo 24 (Cannone, Harrold), 15:45 pp. Penalties—Allen, Iowa (hooking), 6:23; Welsh, Chicago (slashing), 7:49; Lang, Iowa (tripping), 15:19.
Second Period—3, Iowa, Mitchell 22 (Reilly, Downing), 4:31 pp; 4, Chicago, Kristo 25 (Cannone) 10:41 sh. Penalties—Labrie, Chicago (holding the stick), 3:40; Butler, Chicago (high-sticking double-minor), 10:28; Schmaltz, Chicago (interference), 18:22.
Third Period—None. Penalties—Vaughan, Chicago (holding), 8:30; Hagel, Iowa (goaltender interference), 9:03.
Overtime—None. Penalties—None.
Shootout—Chicago 2 (Rattie NG, Kristo G, Schmaltz NG, Cannone NG, Gervais NG, Benoit G); Iowa 1 (Mitchell NG, Reilly NG, Downing G, Bertschy NG, Lucia NG, Petan NG). Shots on goal—Chicago 8-7-6-4-1—26; Iowa 22-11-7-3-0—43. Power plays—Chicago 1-3; Iowa 1-6. Goalies—Chicago, Copley (41-43); Iowa, Michalek (23-25). Referee—Jon McIsaac. Linesmen—Jon Grandt and Nathan Stanton.
