L'Heureux OT Goal Gives Admirals 3-2 Win in Coldest Pro Game

Zach L’Heureux’s overtime forehand gave the Milwaukee Admirals a 3-2 victory over the Iowa Wild at the United Heroes League complex in Hastings, Minn., as the league and club recorded an official game-time temperature of minus-8°F. The AHL called the game the 13th American Hockey League outdoor contest and reported, “Zach L’Heureux scored 1:25 into overtime to give the Milwaukee Admirals a 3-2 victory,” while the Iowa Wild described L’Heureux’s finish as he “drove down the right wing and stepped across the front of the net before beating Hlavaj with a forehand finish.”

Scoring opened late in the first period when Hunter Haight put Iowa ahead at 15:57 after Dylan Gambrell and Carson Lambos worked the puck to Haight, who “stepped to the net mouth and chipped a shot through Matthew Murray.” Ryan Sandelin extended the Wild lead 7:52 into the second when he “jammed the puck under Murray” with assists from Bradley Marek and Jaxon Nelson. Ryder Rolston cut the deficit to 2-1 at 16:22 of the second, and Daniel Carr set up Oasiz Wiesblatt for the third-period equalizer 7:43 into the final frame to force overtime.

Goaltending numbers and shots reflected a busy night for both nets. Iowa’s Samuel Hlavaj stopped 34 shots while Milwaukee’s Matthew Murray recorded 25 saves. Milwaukee outshot Iowa 37–27 overall. Special teams were limited: the Wild went 0-for-1 on the power play and the Admirals were 1-for-4.

Weather became as much a storyline as the score. The Iowa Wild release stated, “Official temperatures at game time measured −8°F, breaking the previous professional hockey outdoor record of −5.7°F, set at the 2022 NHL Winter Classic.” FloHockey’s behind-the-scenes video and production audio, which documented the event for AHLTV coverage, cited “real temperatures of −13°F at various points of the game” and at one point described the scene on-air as “a balmy 7° below zero here in Hastings.”

Production crews and players dealt with the cold in real time. FloHockey’s narration said, “From freezing players to freezing cameras, come along for the ride as we take you inside the Iowa Wild Outdoor Classic,” and unattributed player audio in FloHockey’s behind-the-scenes footage noted, “It’s definitely different. We got a bunch of hand warmers and undergear and stuff like that. The wind’s definitely a factor.” Another unattributed clip captured the nostalgia of the moment: “Once in a lifetime, play outdoors. That's what it's all about. It's pretty cool. It's my first time uh you know playing outside. Brings back some good memories of when I was younger.”

The outdoor contest was staged as part of Hockey Day Minnesota 2026 and was presented by Kwik Star according to Iowa Wild materials. FloHockey produced exclusive streaming coverage on AHLTV and ran player features leading into the event on Matt Kiersted, Gerry Mayhew and others. The game’s official records and the team release differ slightly on details: the AHL reported the overtime winner at 1:25 of OT while the Iowa Wild release lists 1:35, and the team release includes a scheduling line about a rematch at UW-Milwaukee that merits verification. Either way, the night will be recorded in AHL history not only for L’Heureux’s winner but for the extreme conditions and the production challenges that came with staging the league’s coldest outdoor professional game.