Wallstedt Makes 43 Saves in Iowa’s 3-2 Win over Colorado
Dec 2, 2023
LOVELAND, CO. – Iowa goaltender Jesper Wallstedt made 43 saves on 45 shots, while defenseman Andy Welinski notched a goal and an assist, as the Wild defeated the Colorado Eagles 3-2 on Saturday. Eagles forward Ben Meyers posted a goal and an assist in the defeat, while goaltender Trent Miner suffered the loss in net, allowing three goals on 24 shots. Iowa dominated the specialty teams battle, going 2-for-6 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Colorado would net the game’s first goal when Meyers fielded a pass between the circles and muscled the puck past Wallstedt, giving the Eagles a 1-0 edge at the 9:39 mark of the first period.
The Wild would even things up on their first power play of the night, as Welinski lit the lamp from the blue line to tie the game at 1-1 with 7:58 remaining in the first frame.
Colorado would head back to the box just 37 seconds later and Iowa would again find the back of the net, as forward Joel Teasdale skated to the side of the crease and roofed a shot past Miner. The tally was Teasdale’s second power-play goal of the season and gave the Wild a 2-1 advantage at the 14:19 mark of the opening 20 minutes.
Still trailing 2-1 as the puck dropped in the second period, Colorado would be forced to kill off three Iowa power plays, including 1:08 of a 5-on-3 man-advantage. The Eagles would rise to the challenge and kept the scoresheet clean in the middle frame. Colorado would also dominate the shots-on-goal category for a second-consecutive period, outshooting the Wild 16-7 in the second stanza. However, Wallstedt would turn in several dazzling stops to keep it a 2-1 Iowa advantage as the two teams headed to the second intermission.
The Wild would stretch its lead to 3-1 when forward Adam Raska snagged his own rebound in the slot and wired a wrister past Miner just 2:50 into the third period.
The Eagles would answer back 2:06 later when defenseman Keaton Middleton smashed a rebound at the top of the crease into the back of the net to trim the deficit to 3-2.
Colorado would earn 1:29 of a 5-on-3 power play midway through the final frame, but Wallstedt and the penalty kill would keep them at bay to remain in the driver’s seat. As time wound down, the Eagles would pull Miner in favor of the extra attacker, but would come no closer, falling by a final score of 3-2.
The Eagles will be back in action when they take on the Tucson Roadrunners on Friday, December 8th at 7:05pm MT at Blue Arena. Tickets for all regular season games are on sale now and start at just $23. You can find more information on ticket packages, theme nights, and promotional offers, by visiting ColoradoEagles.com or by calling the ticket department at (970) 686-7468.
