The Chicago Wolves roared back from a three-goal deficit to record a scintillating 6-5 victory over the Wild on Saturday night in Iowa.
Joseph LaBate and Malte Stromwall each had two goals, Max Lajoie a goal and three assists and Jack Drury a goal and an assist to lead the Wolves to their first three-game winning streak of the season.
Ronan Seeley and Ryan Suzuki each added two assists as the defending Calder Cup champion Wolves swept the home-and-home series against Iowa.
Riding the momentum of Friday night’s offensive onslaught during the Wolves’ 5-0 victory, LaBate struck early in the rematch to stake the Wolves to a lead 1 minute, 42 seconds into the game.
The winger cruised through the slot and redirected a long shot from Cavan Fitzgerald over Iowa goaltender Jesper Wallstedt’s right shoulder for LaBate’s fourth goal of the season. Suzuki also picked up an assist on the goal that marked the third consecutive game the Wolves tallied first in the game.
The Wild knotted it at 1-1 midway through the opening period on Adam Beckman’s goal off a rebound. Late in the first, Dakota Mermis’ power-play goal and even-strength scores by Marco Rossi and Beckman put Iowa out in front 4-1 heading into the intermission.
The Wolves came right back early in the second to cut the deficit to two when Lajoie’s shot from the point made its way through traffic and eluded Wallstedt. Drury recorded an assist on Lajoie’s fourth goal of the season.
LaBate’s second of the game a short time later pulled the Wolves to within a goal. The winger wired a shot from the slot that sailed past Wallstedt’s blocker for LaBate’s first multi-goal game of the season. Suzuki earned his second assist of the contest and Lajoie had the secondary helper.
The Wolves reeled off their third consecutive goal of the period to tie it at 4-4. With Chicago on the power play, Stromwall jumped on a rebound of a Seeley shot and shoveled in a backhander for his ninth goal of the season. Lajoie picked up his second assist of the game.
Drury scored the Wolves’ fourth goal in row when the center broke into the Iowa zone while on the penalty kill and solved Wallstedt for his sixth tally of the season and a 5-4 Chicago advantage.
In the third, Wolves goaltender Zachary Sawchenko maintained that lead when he stoned Tanner Kaspick on a penalty shot.
Seconds later, Stromwall’s power-play goal off a redirection of a Lajoie shot extended the Wolves’ lead to two.
Iowa kept coming on Beckman’s third goal of the game to make it 6-5 but the Wolves hung on for the victory.
Sawchenko (29 saves) earned the win in goal for the Wolves while Wallstedt (29 saves) suffered the loss for Iowa.
The Wolves upped their record to 18-22-3-1 and Iowa fell to 22-16-5-4.
Up next: The Wolves host the Milwaukee Admirals on Wednesday at Allstate Arena (11 a.m., AHLTV).
For information on Wolves ticket plans for the 2022-23 season — everything from single-game tickets to Flex Packs to group outings — visit ChicagoWolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.
