Despite Loss, Wolves' Magic Number Falls To 1

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Oklahoma City scored four goals in the first period to spark a 5-0 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night at Allstate Arena.

Despite the defeat, the Wolves' second in their last 11 games, their magic number dropped to 1 as Adirondack and Hamilton lost their games. Chicago (38-27-6-1) can clinch a Calder Cup playoff spot during tomorrow's 4 p.m. home game against Iowa.

"We had to give everything we had Friday night to pull out the game in Milwaukee," said Wolves head coach John Anderson. "We were a little stale coming in. They had a little bit more of an edge than we did. They were a little more ready to play."

Oklahoma City (39-26-5-3), which clinched a Western Conference playoff berth Saturday, broke on top just 34 seconds into the game as former Wolves defenseman Brad Hunt rifled a shot from the left circle past goaltender Matt Climie's glove.

The Barons seized a 2-0 lead with Nick Pageau's shorthanded goal at 5:08 of the first. After a Wolves turnover in the defensive end, Pageau launched a slap shot from above the right circle for his first AHL tally.

Oklahoma City pushed its margin to 3-0 at 16:07 of the first on Matthew Ford's power-play goal. Rookie Joey LaLeggia ripped a slap shot from the left point and Ford redirected it from just outside the crease for his third of four points in the period.

Just 51 seconds later, defenseman Jordan Oesterle recorded the Barons' second shorthanded goal to give Oklahoma City a 4-0 lead and Climie a seat on the bench as Anderson sent in Jordan Binnington for the rest of the way. The Barons' Andrew Miller contributed a power-play goal at 4:42 of the third to boost the lead to 5-0.

Climie (15-13-3) stopped 8 of 12 shots in the loss while Binnington posted 13 saves. Barons rookie Laurent Brossoit (23-21-4) registered 38 saves to earn his third shutout.

Courtesy of Chicago Wolves