The Iowa Wild’s preseason ended the way nobody in green wanted it to: with Manitoba in control and a 4-1 final at TRIA Rink on Saturday afternoon.
The Moose set the tone early, striking twice in the first period and never really letting Iowa catch up. Michael Milne got the first one started at 8:41, slipping a backhand shot under Riley Mercer to open the scoring. Just 3:15 later, Deni Goure made it 2-0 with a wrister that went under the crossbar.
Manitoba held a 10-9 edge in shots in the opening frame, while Iowa responded with a better push in the second period but couldn’t crack the scoreboard. The Wild outshot the Moose 5-4 in that scoreless middle frame, and Chase Wutzke took over in goal for Manitoba after replacing Mercer to start the third.
The Moose pulled away again early in the final period. Chase Yoder pushed the lead to 3-0 at 5:37 of the third, putting Iowa in a deep hole before the Wild finally broke through late. Gerry Mayhew got Iowa’s lone goal with 9:57 remaining, finishing off assists from Mike Koster and Riley Heidt.
Milne closed it out with an empty-net goal with 2:27 left.
Isaac Poulter was sharp for Manitoba, stopping 19 of Iowa’s 20 shots. The Wild couldn’t cash in on six power plays, while the Moose went 1-for-4 with the man advantage.
Iowa now turns the page to the 2026-27 season opener against the Texas Stars at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.
In Other News...
Wild Suddenly Face A Bigger Concern Than Fans Expected On Defense
The early days of camp had already been pointing toward a young Minnesota blue line carrying plenty of responsibility, and now there is at least one more layer of uncertainty. Brock Faber was absent from Wild practice ahead of the season opener after taking an injury in the preseason finale, leaving his availability unclear at a time when every healthy defenseman matters.
Minnesota has reasons to be watching the rest of the league too, with Dylan Larkin reportedly widening his trade list to eight teams and making a fit with the Wild look remote. There is also long-term intrigue in prospect Charlie Stramel, who may begin the year in the minors before potentially pushing for NHL time later, but for now the focus is squarely on how the Wild sort out the back end if Faber is not ready. [Read more 🡒]
Wild May Be Hinting At A New Alternate Look
The Wilds mobile app has given fans something to sift through as the clubs uniform schedule starts to take shape. Three jerseys are confirmed, but the app also includes a fourth uniform page that leads to an error message, which is the sort of digital oddity that tends to get attention in a market where every small design clue gets tracked closely.
Even more intriguing, there are 10 games in the 2026-27 schedule that do not appear to be assigned to any of the three known uniforms. That gap has fueled speculation that Minnesota could be preparing a new black alternate look, though the team has not officially said such a jersey exists. For now, it is just enough to keep the possibility alive and Wild fans guessing. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Showed One Opening Night Concern Fans Wont Ignore
The Wild's final tune-up before the regular season offered a familiar mix of promise and frustration, and it was the finishing touch that stood out most. Minnesota dressed a lineup close to what it expects to ice on opening night against Dallas, controlled plenty of the shot count, and still came away with a 2-1 loss after Joel Eriksson Ek supplied the only goal.
For a team that liked what it saw from its penalty killing, the bigger issue was the same one that can linger into October if it is not cleaned up quickly. Minnesota ended the preseason at 1-2-1, and while the structure looked sound, the ability to turn chances into goals still needs work if the Wild want their regular-season start to look sharper than this one did. [Read more 🡒]