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WOLVES EARN POINT IN 4-3 LOSS TO WILD

December 12, 2023

Vasily Ponomarev had a goal and an assist and Rocco Grimaldi and Nathan Sucese also scored to help the Wolves secure a point, but the Wolves dropped a 4-3 decision to the Wild in a shootout Tuesday night in Iowa.

Vinni Lettieri had two goals in regulation and notched the game-winner in the shootout for Iowa, which handed the Wolves their third consecutive defeat—all on the road.

After the Wild seized an early lead on a score by Lettieri, Grimaldi stayed red-hot by notching his team-leading 11th goal of the season to pull the Wolves even. The veteran forward scored on the power play when he pounced on a loose puck and snapped a shot from the bottom of the left circle past Iowa goaltender Jesper Wallstedt to the stick side. Ponomarev and Matt Donovan earned assists.

The tally marked the fourth consecutive Wolves goal scored by Grimaldi—all with a man advantage—over the course of two games.

Midway through the second, Sucese put the Wolves out front 2-1. The forward sped into the Wild zone, took a pass from Zach Jordan and ripped a shot by Wallstedt’s glove and into the back of the net. Along with Josh Melnick, Jordan picked up an assist—his first point with the Wolves after being acquired in a trade with the Rockford IceHogs on Monday.

Sammy Walker’s goal midway through the third pulled the Wild even at 2-2 but the Wolves answered 37 seconds later when Ponomarev redirected a Max Comtois shot that eluded Wallstedt. Comtois was awarded an assist on Ponomarev’s third goal of the season.

Lettieri’s second of the game with 1:44 remaining in the third tied the game at 3-3 and after a scoreless overtime, the game went to a shootout.

Adam Scheel (21 saves) suffered the loss in goal for the Wolves while Wallstedt (25 saves) earned the win for the Wild.

The Wolves fell to 5-13-1-2 on the season while Iowa moved to 10-11-1-1.

Next up: The Wolves host the Texas Stars on Saturday night (7 p.m.) at Allstate Arena. It will be the Teddy Bear Toss Game as well as Adopt-A-Dog Night.

For information on Wolves ticket plans for the 2023-24 season—everything from single-game tickets to Flex Packs to group outings—visit chicagowolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.