Iowa Wild Complete Weekend Sweep, Edge Springfield Thunderbirds 2-1

William Rousseau stopped 34 of 35 shots, and a late three-man sequence produced the decisive goal as the Iowa Wild edged the Springfield Thunderbirds 2-1 at MassMutual Center on Saturday night to complete a weekend sweep.

The win gave Iowa two straight road victories in what was a tight, grinding affair. Springfield controlled the shot clock throughout, outshooting the Wild 35-20, but Rousseau was the difference, turning aside shot after shot to keep Iowa within striking distance every time the Thunderbirds threatened.

The third period was a study in momentum. Hugh McGing appeared to steal the game for Springfield when he buried a one-timer to tie the contest at 13:49, beating Rousseau and briefly shifting the energy inside MassMutual Center toward the home side. But Iowa answered quickly and decisively. With 2:00 left in regulation, Matt Kiersted sent the puck up the wall, Jean-Luc Foudy raced down the right wing and delivered a cross-ice pass, and Gambrell hammered it inside the left post to put the Wild ahead for good.

It was the kind of goal that comes from a team that knows exactly what it needs: two minutes of protection after a late lead change, a clean sequence under pressure, and a goaltender willing to hold the margin.

Special teams told a supplementary story. Iowa was 1-for-5 on the power play, converting once when it counted most, and the Wild killed off all four Springfield power-play opportunities. For a road team that finished with only 20 shots, keeping Springfield off the board with the extra skater was every bit as important as Gambrell's finish.

Iowa now turns its attention to the Chicago Wolves. The Wild travel to Allstate Arena for a Wednesday, March 11 matchup at 7 p.m., carrying the momentum of back-to-back road wins into what figures to be another stiff test. Iowa Wild games stream on AHLTV on FloHockey, with subscriptions for the 2025-26 season available at FloHockey.tv.