Iowa Wild Fall 2-1 to Admirals, Eliminated from Playoffs

The Iowa Wild dropped a 2-1 decision to the Milwaukee Admirals on Sunday at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, ending their season and playoff hopes. With the loss, Iowa was officially eliminated from contention in the AHL’s Central Division.

Iowa opened the scoring 4:04 into the second period when Dylan Gambrell set up Ben Jones for a shorthanded goal. Jones put the Wild ahead with a wrister that beat Admirals goaltender Matthew Murray, who finished the game with 32 saves. The goal gave Iowa a 1-0 lead and a brief moment of hope for a late playoff push.

Milwaukee responded just over nine minutes later when Isaac Ratcliffe converted on the power play. Ratcliffe took a pass from the point and buried a forehand shot from the low slot past Wild goaltender Samuel Hlavaj, who made 30 saves in the loss. Ratcliffe added insurance just 2:48 after his first tally, giving the Admirals a 2-1 lead that they would not relinquish.

The second period saw Milwaukee outshoot Iowa 26-23, and the Admirals controlled the pace of the game. The Wild carried momentum into the third and outshot Milwaukee 10-0 in the final frame, but Murray remained sharp. He made a crucial stop late in the period, scrambling to clear a loose puck off the goal line with under four minutes to play.

Iowa finished the game with 33 shots on goal, but could not find the equalizer. The Admirals, meanwhile, went 1-for-3 on the power play while the Wild went 0-for-3.

With the win, Milwaukee improved to 29-20-6-4 on the season. Iowa, now 19-30-3-3, will not return to the postseason for the second consecutive year. The Wild will close the regular season with a home game against the Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. at Casey’s Center.