Wolves roar back from behind to defeat Iowa Wilds in overtime game Sunday
The Chicago Wolves rallied to defeat the Iowa Wild 4-3 in overtime Sunday Feb. 25, 2024 at Allstate Arena. The Wild led the game 3 to 0 going in to the 2nd period, but the Wolves rallied and tied in the 3rd period forcing the 5 minute sudden death overtime.
After spotting the Wild a three-goal lead midway into the second period, the Wolves roared back and prevailed when Rocco Grimaldi notched the winner with 49 seconds remaining in overtime.
The win snapped the Wolves’ three-game losing skid and marked the first time in 21 opportunities this season Chicago triumphed after trailing after two periods.
Grimaldi finished with two goals and an assist, Cavan Fitzgerald added a goal and two assists and Cole Schneider also scored to help the Wolves leapfrog the Wild and Manitoba Moose and into fifth place in the Central Division.
The Wild took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission following scores by Adam Beckman and Gavin Hain.
Early in the second, the Wild’s Joel Teasdale found the back of the net while Iowa was skating with a two-man advantage to make it 3-0.
Fitzgerald pulled the Wolves to within 3-1 midway through the second while skating on the power play. The defenseman took a cross-ice pass from Domenick Fensore and wired a one-timer from the top of the right circle that beat Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt to the stick side. Fensore and Cory Conacher were awarded assists on Fitzgerald’s career-high eighth goal of the season.
The Wolves kept coming and cut the deficit to 3-2 on another power-play score. This time, Schneider camped in front of Wallstedt and redirected a shot from Grimaldi past the netminder for his eighth goal of the season. Grimaldi and Fitzgerald had the assists.
Grimaldi potted the equalizer 31 seconds into the third when the veteran forward took a cross-crease pass from Fitzgerald and flipped a one-timer by Wallstedt’s glove. Fitzgerald and Nathan Sucese recorded assists.
In overtime, Grimaldi broke in alone on Wallstedt, deked the netminder to the ice and buried a forehand shot into the net for his team-leading 27th goal of the season and the scintillating victory.
Keith Kinkaid (25 saves) earned the win in goal for the Wolves while Wallstedt (34 saves) took the loss for the Wild.
Chicago improved to 18-26-3-2 on the season while Iowa dropped to 18-29-2-2.
Next up: The Wolves travel to Cleveland to face the Monsters on Friday night (6 p.m.).
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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