The Iowa Wild earned the right to begin growing playoff beards with a gutsy win on the last day of the regular season at Central Division winning Texas on Sunday. The team had to win, or they would have gone home after Chicago and Rockford posted wins earlier in the day. As life would have it, timing is everything, especially for five hockey wives ready to give birth this spring.

What are the chances the locker room would account for five new babies over the next four weeks? That’s a new power play unit. Forward Brandon Baddock’s wife is due any day, while defenseman Dakota Mermis’ wife is due within a few weeks. Goalie Zane MacIntyre and his wife are also expecting this spring. It’s not just the players. Assistant Coach Nolan Yonkman and his wife are prepping for a newborn in the coming weeks, as well as General Manager Mike Murray and his wife. It goes to show you what happens before everyone leaves for training camp. That is one of a few hurdles the Wild face this spring.

Iowa has overcome a roller coaster season to wipe the slate clean and set up a meeting with the Rockford IceHogs in a best of three first round series of the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs beginning with Game 1 in Rockford on Wednesday. The winner will meet the Texas Stars in a best of five series in round two.

This marks the second time over ten seasons in which fans will see playoff hockey in Des Moines at Wells Fargo Arena. (245 miles from the Xcel, just sayin’). That is some serious playoff starved fans. It took quite a second-half push for the Wild to qualify for the postseason. Head Coach Tim Army knows what to expect come postseason.

“Every mistake matters because it comes down to such a fine line,” explained the Iowa bench boss. “Hockey is a game of mistakes. It's kind of how you react. But every battle, every moment, there's so much at stake. You can feel it. The quality of the intensity that playoffs have, you can feel it.

“It feels thick. When you're on the bench, you can cut it with a knife in the middle the game.”

“Obviously, the intensity is going to be up a little bit, but you just got to focus on one game at a time in these areas,” said forward Nick Swaney. “It's best two out of three in the first round and not a lot of room for error, but we just got to take it one game at a time and stick to what's made us successful this year, which is sticking to our identity and just playing our game.”

Rookie forward Sammy Walker echoed what it takes for Iowa to be successful this spring.

“I think when we're just playing with speed and pushing the pace, we are tough to play against. We just have to play the right way,” explained the Edina, MN native. “I think when we have turnovers, and were taking penalties when we're not disciplined, and just playing too loose. That's kind of when we get in trouble.”

There is a massive mental aspect to playoffs as well. In a short series such as this, Iowa’s ability to intentionally forget and move on will factor into winning or losing. Captain Dakota Mermis has won championships at multiple levels.

“You have to have a short memory this time of year, whether you win or lose, because there's such quick turnaround,” explained the Wild defenseman who won a Memorial Cup in 2014-15 with Oshawa in the OHL and a Clark Cup in the USHL with Green Bay in 2012-13.

Counting the preseason, Rockford and Iowa have met 16. The IceHogs are Iowa’s closest geographical rival, but the two clubs have never met in the postseason.

“We know Rockford well. We've played them a ton, but in a short, three game series like this, you have to be so focused on the next steps,” added Mermis. “They play a hard game. They want to play with the puck. Sometimes you can catch them in transition because of that, because they may be pushing up the ice a little bit more, but they're going to play a hard game.”

The two teams have not played since the NHL trade deadline, when the Chicago Blackhawks made a flurry of moves that affected the IceHogs roster. Also, by not qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs, Chicago was able to send all its prospects to Rockford the postseason.

With Minnesota potentially setting up for a lengthy playoff run, it will be an interesting dynamic when injuries become part of the equation.

Here’s a quick video of what the guys have to say:

AHL Calder Cup Playoffs - First Round Schedule

Iowa Wild (4) vs Rockford IceHogs (5) (Best of three)

Game 1: Iowa at Rockford on Wed. Apr. 19 at 7 p.m. at BMO Harris Bank Center

Game 2: Rockford at Iowa on Fri. Apr. 21 at 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena

Game 3: Rockford at Iowa on Sun. Apr. 23 at 3 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena (if necessary)

By the numbers:

Iowa won 7 of 12 regular season meetings vs RFD, with points in 9 of the 12 games.
Rockford won 5 of the 12 regular season meetings vs IA, with points in 10 of 12 games.
Iowa did not lose in regulation at Rockford this season (4-0-1-1).
The Wild had one of the better road records in the AHL, going 20-11-4-1.
This is the first ever playoff meeting between Rockford and Iowa.

Players to Watch for Iowa:

G Jesper Wallstadt - Although we won’t know until Game 2, but I believe the playoff reigns will be handed to the 2021 first round pick who was superb on the second half of the season.

F Nic Petan - Iowa’s leading scorer during the regular season, led the club with eight game-winning goals, to go along with 62 points in 53 games.

C Marco Rossi - Finished second on the team in scoring with 51 points in 53 games. 14 of those points came in 11 games against Rockford. This is just the right stage for him to grind and shine.

F Sammy Walker - Had a fantastic rookie season, led Iowa with 27 goals and was fourth in scoring with 48 points.

D Joe Hicketts - Had a career year for points and is the unquestioned QB of the Iowa power play. Special teams can make or break a short series.

Players to Watch for Rockford:

G Arvid Soderblom – He looks to be the man in net for the IceHogs going into the playoffs. He played the final seven games of the regular season and 11 of the last 12. He went 4-0-1 against Iowa this season.

C Rocco Grimaldi – Has averaged a point a game over his AHL career and has over 200 games played in the NHL. Had 17 points in final 16 games for the Hogs after a trade sent him to Rockford from San Diego.

F Luke Philp - His 29 goals and +17 rating led Rockford this season.

F Lukas Reichel - The 2020 first rounder (#17 overall) was nearly a point-a-game pace this season and is a dynamic playmaker.

D Alec Regula -Rockford has a stable of big, rangy defensemen on the blueline. Regula is perhaps their best and will be matched up against Iowa top lines.

How Iowa Wins:

To coin Ted Lasso, “Be a Goldfish,” and stay even keel. This club has seen a lot of highs and lows. They can’t afford a bad game, or two. When they are good, they are very good. But, they seem to get snakebit and it takes them a while to regroup in pivotal games. A short-term memory will help this team.

How Rockford Wins:

Rockford had a lot of success on the power play against Iowa this season by converting 22%. All first team PP units in the AHL are potent, and the IceHogs are no different with five 20-goal scorers on the team. Rockford’s PP ranked 28th on the extra man advantage, but fared better against Iowa than most.