Climie, Wolves Shut Out Wild, 3-0
DES MOINES, Iowa --- The Chicago Wolves scored key goals late in the game and rode the strong goaltending of Matt Climie to capture a 3-0 win over the Iowa Wild on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
Right wing Shane Harper, center Philip McRae, and left wing John McCarthy tallied for the Wolves (19-14-4-0), who snapped a two-game losing streak. Climie made 20 saves to earn his second --- and the team's third --- shutout of the season.
The Wolves controlled the scoreless opening frame but held a commanding 13-6 lead in shots over Iowa (13-22-1-1). That carried into the second period and it paid off as the visitors capitalized on their first power play of the night.
Just 30 seconds into the man-advantage, center Pat Cannone sent a feed to the side of the net for Harper. The right wing went to his backhand and cut in front of the crease, switching to his forehand to sneak the puck inside the far post at 2:45. Harper tied his American Hockey League career high with the tally, his 13th of the season.
Chicago added an insurance marker with five minutes left in the game as McRae snapped a five-game goal drought. After sending the puck deep into the offensive zone, Ty Rattie forced a turnover with an aggressive forecheck. Jeremy Welsh corralled the puck along the boards and sent a quick pass to McRae in front of the net for the two-goal cushion.
McCarthy sealed it with an empty-net goal late in the contest. The left wing intercepted an Iowa pass and fired it top-shelf from outside the blue line to make it 3-0.
Climie's shutout was his ninth in a Wolves uniform, moving him into sole possession of second place all-time among franchise netminders. He improved to 9-8-3 on the season. Iowa goaltender Johan Gustafsson (7-15-1) stopped 35 of 37 shots.
The Wolves return to Allstate Arena to face Lake Erie at 7 p.m. Friday and Rockford at 7 p.m. Saturday. The team will debut their Fight Against Cancer specialty jerseys in those home games. To get the best deals on tickets, visit ChicagoWolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.
-- Chicago Wolves
