Mar 4, 2023
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Iowa Wild completed a two-game sweep of the Grand Rapids Griffins and took a 4-3 victory in overtime Saturday at Van Andel Arena. Mike O’Leary scored twice for the Wild, while Nic Petan provided the winning goal.
Taro Hirose put the Griffins on the board 1:15 into the game with a power-play goal that bounced off the Iowa defense and past Jesper Wallstedt (23 saves).
Mike O’Leary equalized for the Wild at 4:28 of the first period. After Patrick Curry won a battle in the right corner, O’Leary fired a shot off the post and in to beat John Lethemon (37 saves).
O’Leary found the score sheet again with 8:15 to go in the opening frame. Curry sprung Damien Giroux for an odd-man rush, and Giroux fired a shot toward the right pad of Lethemon. The rebound kicked to O’Leary, who deposited the puck into an empty net.
Iowa carried a 2-1 lead and 11-10 shot advantage into the first intermission.
Danny O’Regan scored another power-play goal for the Griffins at 1:28 of the second period. Grand Rapids took advantage of a 5-on-3 and O’Regan one-timed a pass from Matt Luff over the glove hand of Wallstedt from the top of the left circle.
Brandon Baddock put Iowa up 3-2 with 3:43 to play in the second. Tanner Kaspick found Baddock in front of the net, where Baddock spun a backhand shot on goal that snuck through Lethemon.
Iowa led 3-2 and held a 24-19 shot advantage through two periods.
Albert Johansson tied the game for the Griffins when a point shot by Jared McIsaac ricocheted directly to his tape at the side of the net 1:05 into the third period.
The two clubs were unable to break the deadlock in regulation and headed to overtime tied at 3-3.
Petan won the game for Iowa 3:17 into overtime. Marco Rossi entered the Grand Rapids zone and laid the puck off for Dakota Mermis, who in turn dropped a pass off for a curling Petan. Petan stepped between the circles and wired a wrister past Lethemon for his team-leading seventh game-winning goal of the season.
Iowa outshot Grand Rapids 41-26. The Wild were 0-for-4 on the power play while the Griffins went 2-for-3 with the man advantage.
Iowa travels to Milwaukee to square off with the Admirals on Tuesday, Mar. 7 at 7 p.m.
Iowa Wild hockey is presented by MercyOne. For more information, please visit www.iowawild.com. Fans can purchase single-game tickets through the team’s website at
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