Iowa Wild Sweep Manitoba Moose with Five Unanswered Goals in AHL Matchup

On February 22, 2026, the Iowa Wild delivered a dominant performance to sweep the Manitoba Moose in a pivotal American Hockey League (AHL) contest at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg. The Wild secured a 5-1 victory, overcoming an early deficit with five unanswered goals to claim the series sweep.

Manitoba struck first just 1:32 into the game when Kale Clague’s shot from the top of the right circle slipped past Iowa goaltender Cal Petersen, giving the Moose a 1-0 lead. Petersen would finish the game with 21 saves.

The Wild responded swiftly, with Tyler Pitlick tying the game at 5:04 with a wrister from the high slot, assisted by Dylan Gambrell and Carson Lambos. Iowa then took the lead for good at 12:57 after Gambrell fed Hunter Haight behind the net; Pitlick recovered the loose puck and wrapped it around past Manitoba’s Domenic DiVincentiis, who made 30 saves.

Nicolas Aubé-Kubel extended Iowa’s advantage to two goals at 18:39 of the first period, scoring on a breakaway with assists from David Jiricek and Ben Jones. Despite outshooting Iowa 10-7 in the opening frame, Manitoba trailed 3-1 after one period.

The second period saw Manitoba cut the deficit when Riley Heidt converted a pass from Aubé-Kubel with a backhand shot under DiVincentiis at 11:13 of the middle frame. Yet, Iowa restored its two-goal lead shortly after, as Oskar Olausson and Aubé-Kubel combined to set up Jack Peart for a one-timer from the left point at 15:29, making it 4-1.

Iowa added a fifth goal later in the period to make it 5-1, though the specific scorer was not detailed in the available reports. Petersen was flawless in the third period, turning away all eight Manitoba shots he faced to preserve the shutout bid.

Over the full game, Iowa outshot Manitoba 35-25. The Wild’s special teams were mixed, going 0-for-3 on the power play while successfully killing off both Manitoba man-advantage opportunities.

With the sweep complete, Iowa returned home to host the Milwaukee Admirals on February 24, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. At Casey’s Center in Des Moines.

The victory highlighted Iowa’s resilience and offensive depth, particularly from Pitlick, who contributed two goals, and Aubé-Kubel, who recorded a goal and two assists. Petersen’s steady goaltending proved critical in stabilizing the team after the early goal allowed.

As the AHL season progresses, both teams continue to jockey for positioning in their respective divisions, with Iowa aiming to build momentum and Manitoba seeking to address consistency issues.