DES MOINES, Iowa – Joel Chouinard’s goal with 2:59 remaining in regulation proved to be the game-winner as the Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Iowa Wild 4-3 on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena.

Robbie Russo’s pass from the left circle found Chouinard at the point for a one-timer that made its way through traffic, beating Steve Michalek high to the glove side. Chouinard was signed by the Griffins on Thursday to a professional tryout from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and did not participate in Friday’s game.

Grayson Downing started the scoring on the power play for Iowa (15-29-3-3) with 9:06 left in the opening period. Jordan Schroeder’s pass from center ice reached Downing, who gained the zone up the middle and sent a wrist shot from the left circle over Jared Coreau’s glove and in.

Tyler Bertuzzi responded for the Griffins (27-18-1-1) 2:06 later. Dan Cleary’s pass from the right half-wall found Bertuzzi, whose sharp-angle effort from the right corner went past Michalek’s glove-side shoulder.

Louis-Marc Aubry gave the Griffins their first lead of the night with 3:11 remaining in the first. After Colin Campbell intercepted Michalek’s pass behind the Iowa net, Campbell’s sent a centering pass towards Aubry at the bottom of the right circle for a shot that snuck through the Wild netminder’s right arm and body.

Zack Mitchell evened the score for Iowa at the 8:11 mark of the middle frame. Gustav Olofsson’s slap pass from the left point was redirected in by Mitchell at the far post for his team-leading 18th of the season.

Ryan Sproul gave the Griffins a 3-2 advantage with 2:43 left in the second. Brian Lashoff sent a cross-ice pass from near the top of the left circle to Sproul at the right circle, who lifted the puck over the glove-side shoulder.

The Wild answered back quickly, coming from behind a second time when Kurtis Gabriel scored with 57.9 seconds on the clock. After Tyson Strachan’s one-timer from the point was stopped by Coreau, the rebound ended up behind a spinning Coreau in front of the crease with Strachan shooting into the open net. The Griffins controlled the play throughout the final frame – outshooting Iowa 13-4 – but were unable to retake the lead for a third time until Chouinard’s late heroics.

Iowa finished 1-for-4 on the power play, while Grand Rapids could not convert on two opportunities. Coreau turned aside 28 of 31 shots for the win, while Michalek stopped 34 of 38 shots in a losing effort.

The Griffins conclude their back-to-back-to-back road trip on Sunday with a visit to the Central Division-leading Rockford IceHogs. Puck drop from BMO Harris Bank Center is at 5 p.m. EST.

Three Stars: 1. GR Chouinard (game-winning goal); 2. IA Olofsson (two assists); 3. IA Graovac (assist)

Notes: Iowa bench boss John Torchetti was promoted to interim head coach of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild following Saturday’s game…Chouinard is playing in his second season with the Griffins, having appeared in two games during the 2014-15 season without registering a point. His only other AHL appearance during the current campaign came with Chicago during the Wolves’ 4-3 overtime win at Grand Rapids on Jan. 17.