DES MOINES, Iowa – Center Wade Megan netted his league-leading 32nd goal en route to a 2-1 victory for the Chicago Wolves over the Iowa Wild on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
The regulation win pushed the Wolves (43-19-7-5) two points ahead of the Grand Rapids Griffins in the Central Division standings, and each club still has two games remaining. Chicago will wrap up the Central Division title on Friday night if it earns one more point from its rematch at Iowa than Grand Rapids gets in its home game against Charlotte.
Iowa’s Jeff Hoggan opened game scoring just 1:25 into the first frame, but Chicago netted two goals – including Megan’s power-play tally – in the latter half of the same period.
The Wild (34-31-7-2) took the lead early in the first period when Hoggan, skating in the left offensive corner, threw the puck on net. It bounced off Wolves goaltender Ville Husso (13-6-1) and into the net to give Iowa the 1-0 lead.
After Chicago and Iowa traded penalties, Chicago ended the special-time series on an abbreviated power play. From the center point, rookie defenseman Vince Dunn faked a shot and, instead, aimed for Megan standing in front of the net for a redirect that knotted the game 1-1.
Chicago jumped into the lead, 2-1, at 15:05 of the opening session when Bryce Gervais sailed a pass from the left-side boards to Samuel Blais floating near the bottom of the right offensive circle for a one-time shot that found twine.
Husso turned aside 32 shots for his fifth win in a row while Alex Stalock (22-17-8) stopped 33 of 35 shots in the loss.
The Wolves and Wild finish their season series Friday (April 14) at Wells Fargo Arena. Game time is 7 p.m., and the contest will be televised on The U Too in the Chicago area.
On Saturday (April 15), the Wolves return home to Allstate Arena and host the Charlotte Checkers for the regular-season finale. The 7 p.m. tilt will be broadcast on CW50. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., fans can participate in the Touch-A-Truck event as part of the Wolves annual First Responders Night, presented by Turtle Wax. The first 3,500 fans into the building receive a drawstring backpack courtesy of Turtle Wax. For more information about the regular-season finale or the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs, visit ChicagoWolves.com.
