Wild Squander Multi-Goal Advantage at Casey’s Center
The Iowa Wild let a multi-goal lead slip away on Sunday afternoon at Casey’s Center, ultimately falling 5-4 in overtime to the Charlotte Checkers after Gracyn Sawchyn secured the extra point with a power-play marker 3:13 into the extra frame, iowawild.com reported.
Early Momentum Favors the Host Squad
Things started brightly enough for the hosts. Caedan Bankier opened the scoring just 6:02 into the contest, backhanding the rebound of Riley Heidt’s centering feed past goaltender Kirill Gerasimyuk. Just 2:18 later, Dylan Gambrell forced a neutral zone turnover while shorthanded and snapped a shot past Gerasimyuk’s right pad to double Iowa’s advantage.
Charlotte Fights Back Before the Intermission
Charlotte clawed back before the first intermission. Mitchell Vande Sompel gathered a rebound off the end wall and deposited the puck into an open net to cut the deficit to one. Then, just 34 seconds into the middle frame, Justin Kirkland chased Gerasimyuk from the net with a half-wall goal on a delayed penalty, drawing assists from Hunter Haight and Jack Peart.
Trading Goals in the Second Period
The Checkers kept pressing when Alex Petrovic snuck a shot under Riley Mercer from the left circle at 9:46 of the second period. Yet Iowa managed to restore a two-goal cushion before the period expired. At 14:05, Jagger Joshua and Carson Lambos combined to spring Bradley Marek across the blue line, where he ripped a shot off the crossbar and past relief goaltender Tyler Muszelik.
Late Third-Period Surge Forces Overtime
That two-goal margin evaporated in the third period. Jack Devine capitalized on a loose puck at 13:27 to pull Charlotte within striking distance. With just 49 seconds remaining in regulation, Nate Smith chipped a rebound over Mercer to tie the game at 4-4 and force the extra session.
Quick Turnaround Ahead on Home Ice
The Wild will look to rebound on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 10:30 a.m., when they host the Rockford IceHogs for the Wild About Education School Day Game presented by MidAmerican Energy at Casey’s Center.
