ROCKFORD FALLS 4-1 TO ADS, OUSTED FROM POSTSEASON

ROCKFORD FALLS 4-1 TO ADS, OUSTED FROM POSTSEASON
04/21/2009 10:28 AM

The Milwaukee Admirals eliminated the Rockford IceHogs in four games at the Rockford MetroCentre on Tuesday. (Photo by Greg Hamil)
04/21/2009 10:28 AM - IceHogs season ends with 4-1 loss

Rockford, Ill.- With a four-game sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Admirals, the Rockford IceHogs' 2009 Calder Cup postseason run came to an end on Tuesday at the Rockford MetroCentre.

"I don’t think they’re that much better than us," said Rockford defenseman Jordan Hendry. "I think they just capitalized on their opportunities whereas we didn’t."

It is only the third time in ten years that the IceHogs have been swept and only second time in a best-of-seven series.

"These guys have played in big games through their whole career -- college and juniors," said Rockford winger Bryan Bickell. "They knew how playoff hockey was going to be. We just ran into a hot goalie and we couldn’t do anything about it. Congrats to them."

The Admirals struck first with a goal from Jed Ortmeyer at 15:03 in the first period. Assists came from Mike Santorelli and Tim Ramholt.

Ortmeyer and Santorelli factored in on all four of Milwaukee's goals.

The Hogs tied it up at 1-1 at 16:21 in the second with a power-play goal by Pascal Pelletier, his first of the postseason. The assists went to Danny Groulx and Tim Brent.

The Ads took the lead back at 18:36 with Santorelli's first of three goals on the night, helped by Ryan Jones and Ortmeyer.

"We tried to throw everything (at them)," Bickell said. "We threw an army of shots, but MacIntyre played great all series and all season."

MacIntyre finished with 25 saves and leads the league in goals against and save percentage.

Milwaukee's third goal came from Santorelli at 7:02 in the third to pad the Admirals' lead. The assists went to Jones and Ortmeyer.

Santorelli tallied again at 15:22 in the third to complete the natural hat trick. The assist went to Ortmeyer.

"I think our team battled hard (in the series)," said Hendry. "Tonight, I don’t think we played as well as we should have. I think maybe it was more of a mental thing, being down three games to zero."

Niemi finished with 34 saves on the night in his second ever AHL postseason game.

Season Ticket Are On Sale: Find a 2009-10 ticket package that works for you, call 815-847-6399 to speak with a IceHogs season ticket representative.

ROCKFORD FALLS 3-1 TO MILWAUKEE ONCE AGAIN

ROCKFORD FALLS 3-1 TO MILWAUKEE ONCE AGAIN

04/19/2009 11:08 AM -
IceHogs down 3-0 after three games against Milwaukee

Rockford, Ill.-The Rockford IceHogs are on the ropes after their third straight 3-1 loss to the Milwaukee Admirals at the Rockford MetroCentre on Sunday. The Admirals lead the IceHogs 3-0 in the best-of-seven West Division Semifinal Series.

"It's a (seven-game) series and you have to win four," said Rockford's lone goal scorer Tyler Mosienko. "We have a good group of guys and we've had to fight all year long to make it to the playoffs. We're not going down easy."

After a scoreless first frame, Milwaukee broke open the scoring early in the second on the power play.

"I thought we played a really good first period but after that we couldn't find the net," Mosienko said. "Penalties killed us in the second period and in the third, they had the lead and just shut us down."

Andreas Thuresson tallied at 2:07 in the second from Cal O'Reilly and Robert Dietrich. Milwaukee capitalized on two of their seven power plays, while Rockford was 1-for-4 on the man advantage.

"It was a little bit loser tonight than it was in the first two games," Mosienko said of the number of penalities in Game 3. "Obviously things didn't work out the way we wanted to today in that sense."

The IceHogs found themselves down 2-0 just a few minutes later as a loose puck found the back of the net.

Antti Niemi made a glove save but as he hit the ice, the puck popped loose in front of Triston Grant. The winger nailed home his first postseason goal at 6:36 in the second. The assists went to Kelsey Wilson and Oren Eizenman.

Then Ryan Jones put the Ads up 3-0 when he shoved a goal over Niemi's shoulder on a rebound off of a Mike Santorelli shot at 3:18 in the third. Cal O'Reilly recorded his six postseason point in three games on the lamp-lighter.

The Hogs finally solved Drew MacIntyre at 17:49 in the third, when Tyler Mosienko tipped in a Danny Groulx shot to avoid the shut out. Bryan Bickell also earned an assist.

MacIntyre finished with 25 saves, while Niemi had 27 saves in his AHL postseason debut.

MILWAUKEE UP 2-0 WITH ANOTHER 3-1 WIN OVER HOGS

MILWAUKEE UP 2-0 WITH ANOTHER 3-1 WIN OVER HOGS

Photo by Scott Paulus
04/18/2009 8:00 PM - Series now shifts to Rockford for Game Three

Milwaukee, Wis.- Different night same result for the Rockford IceHogs in Game Two of the West Division Semifinals against the Milwaukee Admirals at the Bradley Center.

"We have to be resilient," center Tim Brent said. "We had chances to score and we just haven't scored."

For the second straight game, the IceHogs fell to the Admirals 3-1. Milwaukee put up a goal in each of the three periods and Drew MacIntyre held Rockford’s offense at bay again. Milwaukee now leads the best-of-seven West Division Semifinals 2-0 with Game Three in Rockford on Sunday.

"We're excited to go home," Brent said. "We get to play in front of our fans and back in our building. Playoffs happen so fast and you have to let things go quick and focus on what you need to do to get better."

Defenseman Cody Franson put Milwaukee up 1-0 with a drive from the blue line at 18:49 in the first period after Rockford failed to clear the zone. The assist came from Nick Spaling.

In the second period, Evan Brophey knocked in a rebound from a Rob Klinkhammer shot to tie the score at 1-1. The goal, which bounced off of Brophey's leg as he was crashing the net, came at 7:52. Bryan Bickell was also credited with an assist on Rockford’s lone goal.

The Admirals took the lead back when Hugh Jessiman snuck the puck underneath Corey Crawford at 17:48 in the second. Patric Hornqvist and Cal O'Reilly were credited with assists.

"It's been tight and it's a playoff atmosphere," Brent said. "We've had the puck on our stick for probably 95 percent of the goals that they've scored and not executed as well as we should have."

Hornqvist then put the Admirals up 3-1 at 12:49 of the third frame when he picked the corner of the goal unassisted after forcing a turnover in the IceHogs defensive zone for his second goal of the postseason.

Unlike Thursday night, Milwaukee came out the gates strong and peppered Crawford with seven shots in the game’s first five minutes. Milwaukee ended up outshooting the IceHogs 34-25 as MacIntyre picked up his second straight win making 24 saves.

Power plays were a non factor as Rockford had the game’s only advantage and was held off of the board. The contest featured three penalties overall, and all three were whistled at 4:47 of the second period.

Next Home Game: The Quest for the Calder Cup presented by Pepsi gets underway as the Rockford IceHogs and Milwaukee Admirals head to the Rockford MetroCentre for Game 3 of the West Division Semifinals. The puck drops at 5:05 p.m. The first 2,000 fans into the building will pick up a rally towel while all kids 14 and under will get into the game for just $5. It's also a Student Rush Night presented by WXRX where all high school and college students can get the best available ticket for just $10 after 4 p.m.

Playoff Tickets Are On Sale: The Rockford IceHogs are in the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs. Pick up tickets for games 3, 4 and 6 by calling (815) 968-5222, stop by the Rockford MetroCentre Box Office or Hogs Headquarters at Cherryvale Mall or visit metrocentre.com.

ADMIRALS TAKE GAME ONE WITH LATE TALLY

ADMIRALS TAKE GAME ONE WITH LATE TALLY

04/16/2009 10:29 AM - Hogs and Admirals rematch on Saturday at the Bradley Center

Milwaukee, Wis.- Everything seemed to follow the Rockford IceHogs game plan in Game One of the West Division Semifinals against the Milwaukee Admirals at the Bradley Center.

Rockford generated more scoring opportunities on Drew MacIntyre than the Admirals did on Corey Crawford. The Hogs even won the special teams battle scoring once on seven chances while holding Milwaukee off the board on three.

But what didn’t work in their favor was the final score. Powered by two late Cal O’Reilly goals, including one into an empty net, the Admirals took Game One of the best-of-seven series 3-1.

With the score tied and the clock winding down, O'Reilly put the Admirals up 2-1 at 17:08 in the third period.

O'Reilly took a pass from Patric Hornqvist and found the corner of the goal for the go-ahead marker.

He then doubled the lead at 19:51 with an empty netter with Crawford on the bench and Rockford skating on a late power play.

The IceHogs and Admirals were tied at one going into the third thanks to matching goals in the first and a scoreless second frame.

Hornqvist put the Admirals up by one when he poked a puck over Corey Crawford's leg on a quick feed from Robert Dietrich at 6:41 in the first period.

O'Reilly was also credited with an assist.

But then Akim Aliu found the open net to tie it at 9:14 on the power play. Aliu found a rebound off of a shot by Tyler Mosienko to light the lamp.

The two combined for Rockford's only goals in the final regular season game against Chicago.

The other assist went to Jimmy Sharrow.

Rockford outshot Milwaukee 32-24 in the contest but MacIntyre blocked 31 of them to preserve the win. Crawford was the tough luck loser blocking 21 Milwaukee attempts.

Next Home Game: The Quest for the Calder Cup presented by Pepsi gets underway as the Rockford IceHogs and Milwaukee Admirals head to the Rockford MetroCentre for Game 3 of the West Division Semifinals. The puck drops at 5:05 p.m. The first 2,000 fans into the building will pick up a rally towel while all kids 14 and under will get into the game for just $5. It's also a Student Rush Night presented by WXRX where all high school and college students can get the best available ticket for just $10 after 4 p.m.

Playoff Tickets Are On Sale: The Rockford IceHogs are in the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs. Pick up tickets for games 3, 4 and 6 by calling (815) 968-5222, stop by the Rockford MetroCentre Box Office or Hogs Headquarters at Cherryvale Mall or visit metrocentre.com.

ICEHOGS WEST DIVISION SEMIFINAL SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

ICEHOGS WEST DIVISION SEMIFINAL SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

04/13/2009 8:25 AM -
Rockford to host Games Three and Four on Sunday and Tuesday

Rockford, Ill.- The Rockford IceHogs, in conjunction with the Milwaukee Admirals and American Hockey League, announced the schedule for the IceHogs-Admirals West Division Semifinal Calder Cup Playoff Series.

The series, which is a best-of-seven, will open on Thursday, April 16 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee at 7 p.m. Milwaukee will also host Game Two and if necessary Games Five and Seven.

Rockford will return home for Game Three on Sunday, April 19 at the Rockford MetroCentre at 5:05 p.m. and Game Four on Tuesday, April 21 at 7:05 p.m. If necessary Game Six will also take place at the MetroCentre on Sunday, April 26 at 5:05 p.m.

Below is the complete schedule for the IceHogs-Admirals West Division Semifinal series:

Game 1 - Thu., Apr. 16 - Rockford at Milwaukee, 7:00
Game 2 - Sat., Apr. 18 - Rockford at Milwaukee, 7:30
Game 3 - Sun., Apr. 19 - Milwaukee at Rockford, 5:05 Ticket “A”
Game 4 - Tue., Apr. 21 - Milwaukee at Rockford, 7:05 Ticket “B”
*Game 5 - Fri., Apr. 24 - Rockford at Milwaukee, 7:00
*Game 6 - Sun., Apr. 26 - Milwaukee at Rockford, 5:05 Ticket “C”
*Game 7 - Mon., Apr. 27 - Rockford at Milwaukee, 7:00
*-If Necessary

For tickets to Games Three, Four or Six, call (815) 968-5222, on the Web at www.metrocentre.com or in person at the MetroCentre Box Office or at Hogs Headqarters inside CherryVale Mall.

WOLVES POST FOUR IN THE FIRST, WIN 5-2 IN FINALE

WOLVES POST FOUR IN THE FIRST, WIN 5-2 IN FINALE

Photo by Ross Dettman
04/11/2009 7:00 PM -
IceHogs learn playoff opponent after Houston/San Antonio game Sunday

Rosemont, Ill.- The Chicago Wolves posted four goals in the first period and the IceHogs could not pull themselves out of the hole as Rockford’s closest rival beat them 5-2 in the 2008-09 regular season finale.

The Wolves took advantage of a couple of early penalties to take a 2-0 lead. Defenseman Mike Brennan was whistled for an interference call at 1:50 into the first period and on the same call Sean McMorrow was sent to the box on a double minor for an attempted head butting.

“They came out strong and wanted to go out with a bang in front of a sold out building,” said defenseman Brian Connelly. “We took a couple of unfortunate penalties and they put a couple of goals in and they just kept rolling with that. Before we knew it, we were down 4-0.”

On the ensuing 5-on-3 power play, Chad Denny picked the corner of the net at 3:39 with helpers from Steve Martins and Brett Sterling.

Then just 1:42 later, Martins solved Antti Niemi with helpers from Sterling and Joe Motzko on a man advantage to give the Wolves a two-goal lead.

Clay Wilson snuck a goal in at 11:01 to give the Wolves a 3-0 lead from a feed by Spencer Machacek. Grant Stevenson also had an assist.

Stevenson took his turn on the power-play at 19:18 unassisted when he picked off a pass and worked around Niemi to put Chicago's fourth goal of the period on the board.

“We gave some of the older guys some rest before the playoffs,” said Connelly. “But I thought we played well in the last two periods to move the puck and our feet to get a jump going into the playoffs.”

In the second frame, Sterling jumped on the band wagon for his 18th goal of the season with assists from Denny and Martins on the power play at 14:51.

“This wasn’t a throw-away game,” Connelly said. “But the emotions weren’t there like last night and going into the playoffs we wanted to put a couple of periods together where we weren’t playing confident hockey and playing as a group.”

But Rockford's Akim Aliu ended Brent Krahn's shutout bid at 17:32 with assists from Tyler Mosienko and Adam Hobson to make the score 5-1 to end the middle period.

“It’s nice to get one in the last game of the season,” Aliu said. “This is something I’m going to remember. I think today was one of my better games. I thought I had a couple of opportunities and it was nice to be able to capitalize later in the game.”

The goal was Aliu's first professional goal in his seventh career game.

The young winger doubled his career point total with a marker on a 5-on-3 at 1:45 in the third period with helpers from Mosienko and Connelly to make the score 5-2. Aliu took a feed from Mosienko in front of the net and drove it over Krahn's outstretched leg.

Niemi had 41 saves in the losing effort compared to Brent Krahn’s 33. Special teams again haunted the IceHogs, with a 4-for-8 showing on the penalty kill and 1-for-5 on the power play.

Playoff tickets: The Rockford IceHogs are in the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs. Pick up tickets for the first two games by calling (815) 968-5222 or stop by the Rockford MetroCentre Box Office or Hogs Headquarters at Cherryvale Mall. Schedule, times, dates and opponent to be determined.

ICEHOGS PLAYOFF BOUND WITH SHOOTOUT WIN

ICEHOGS PLAYOFF BOUND WITH SHOOTOUT WIN

Photo by Greg Hamil
04/10/2009 8:54 PM -
Rockford to make fifth-straight playoff appearance and second in the AHL

Rockford, Ill.- The Rockford IceHogs sealed a playoff spot in front of a sold out Rockford MetroCentre with a 3-2 shootout win over the Peoria Rivermen.

"It's been playoffs for us for a couple of weeks now, and the last couple of games haven't gone our way," said Rockford's Defenseman of the Year Tim Hambly. "But tonight you have to give all of the credit to Crawford with 32 stops."

After a wild season in a crowded West Division, the playoff teams are finally set. With Houston's shootout loss and Rockford's win on Friday, the final two West Division spots in the 2009 Calder Cup playoffs go to the Aeros and IceHogs.

Now with Houston's two games left and Rockford's final game against Chicago tomorrow night the one thing left to determine is the seeding. The Hogs lead the Aeros by one point in the standings. The higher seed will face Peoria in the first round, while the lower seed with see Milwaukee.

In Friday's game, Crawford turned in a stellar performance to carry the IceHogs on 32 saves.

"Coming into playoffs you're going to need a hot goalie and we're going to run into one on the other side," Hambly said. "One goal against in a playoff game like this is something you can't really complain about."

Rockford's 2008-09 Rookie of the Year Pete MacArthur put the IceHogs up 1-0 in front of 5,938 fans when he flipped a puck over Chris Holt at 13:06 in the second period on the power play. It was MacArthur's 14th on the year and eighth in his last 14 games. The assists went to team MVP Tim Brent and Hambly.

Holt had 26 stops in the game.

Peoria's Aaron Palushaj tied the score with a power-play marker at 19:10 in the second. Palushaj poked the puck past Corey Crawford in a scrum in front of the net with helpers from Justin Fletcher and Yan Stastny.



Both the Hogs and Rivermen had chances to take the lead in the third period. With just about a minute left in the contest, Peoria's Steve Wagner rang the post on a slap shot, but Rockford recovered the rebound and cleared the zone.

With a berth in the playoffs assured by forcing extra hockey, Rockford could only add icing to the cake with a win in front of the seventh sellout of the 2008-09 season.

Rockford's Akim Aliu and Evan Brophey scored in the shootout while Peoria's only tally came from Danny Richmond.

For the second straight game, Rockford and their opponent finished 1-for-8 on the power play.


Playoff Tickets Are On Sale: The Rockford IceHogs are in the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs. Pick up tickets for the first two games by calling (815) 968-5222 or stop by the Rockford MetroCentre Box Office or Hogs Headquarters at Cherryvale Mall. Schedule, times, dates and opponent to be determined.

DESPERATE FLAMES CRUSH ICEHOGS

DESPERATE FLAMES CRUSH ICEHOGS

04/08/2009 9:24 AM -
Rockford fails to clinch in Quad City

Moline, Ill.- There was a desperate hockey team on the ice on Wednesday night at the i wireless Center in Moline and it wasn’t the Rockford IceHogs. The Quad City Flames kept their playoff hopes alive after cruising to a 5-2 victory over the IceHogs.

With two games remaining Rockford’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot is still just one point.

Rockford was sluggish out of the gate on Wednesday as the Flames tallied twice in the first 7:09 to take a 2-0 lead. Dustin Boyd poked a rebound that bounced out in front of the IceHogs net past Niemi for his first goal with Quad City this season at 3:37.

A shorthanded goal moved the Quad City lead to a pair. Brett Sutter picked up a loose puck and finished off an unassisted shorthanded goal by sniping ninth goal of the season past Niemi at 7:09. Sutter would finish with three points, all shorthanded.

After Rockford failed to score on three straight power plays, including two five-on-threes, Quad City took advantage of their third power play of the night. Carsen Germyn blasted his 13 goal of the campaign past a screened Niemi at 18:37 making it 3-0 at the first intermission.

Rockford got a goal back in the second period when Tyler Mosienko converted on a power play. Mosienko picked up an Evan Brophey pass and knocked his own rebound past Leland Irving for his fifth goal of the season at 12:42. Tim Hambly also assisted the goal.

In the third period the IceHogs couldn’t generate any momentum to get back into the game. With Rockford on the power play late both Sutter and Brad Cole buried empty-net shorthanded tallies to make it 5-1.

Jake Dowell added a late power-play tally at 19:55, his sixth goal of the season set up by Logan Stephenson.

Rockford finished the contest 2-8 on the power play while holding Quad City to 1-8. The two teams combined to go 0-5 on the five-on-three advantage.

Niemi was saddled with the loss after giving up three goals on 32 shots faced while Irving got the win with 21 blocks.

Next Home Game: Friday, April 10 vs. Peoria Rivermen. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. Rockford faces off against Peoria in the clubs’ 2008-09 regular season home finale. The first 1,000 fans to the game will pick up a Patrick Kane Bobblehead doll and the first 2,500 fans will receive an IceHogs Team Photo courtesy of Johnson Press. All fans can enter to win an IceHogs game worn jersey as the team will give away an entire set during Fan Appreciation Night. Also, the IceHogs will present their 2008-09 Team Awards prior to the game.

ROCKFORD FALLS 4-1 TO MILWAUKEE

ROCKFORD FALLS 4-1 TO MILWAUKEE

04/04/2009 11:32 AM -
Rockford's three-game winning streak halted

Rockford, Ill.- The Rockford IceHogs dug themselves too deep of a hole to the Milwaukee Admirals in front of a sold out Rockford MetroCentre in the third period on their 10th annual Jersey Auction Night falling 4-1.

The IceHogs could not rebound from three unanswered goals from the Admirals and lost for only the second time during the annual Jersey Auction Night. The Jersey Auction record for the IceHogs is now 8-2-0-0. Another loss for the Hogs tonight was the opportunity to clinch a berth in the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs. Had the Hogs won tonight, they would have assured themselves a spot in the playoffs as Quad City lost in Peoria.

Justin Taylor scored the Admirals first goal, his third of the season, at 2:16 in the first unassisted.

Brian Connelly scored his first goal in an IceHogs uniform at 15:17 in the first to tie the game at 1-1. Connelly's power play goal was assisted by Tim Brent and Danny Groulx.

Cody Franson put the Admirals up 2-1 at 16:54 in the first on a power play goal. The assist went to Andreas Thuresson.

At 4:09 in the second James Sixsmith found the back of the net assisted by Taylor to pad the Admirals' lead.

Taylor scored his second goal of the night at 13:54 in the second to give the Admirals a three goal lead. The assist went to Russ Sinkewich. That would end the scoring for the game as both teams couldn't solve either goalie in the third. Corey Crawford finished with 25 saves for the Hogs while Mark Dekanich finished with 31 for the Ads.

Next Home Game: Friday, April 10 vs. Peoria Rivermen. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. Rockford faces off against Peoria in the clubs’ 2008-09 regular season home finale. The first 1,000 fans to the game will pick up a Patrick Kane Bobblehead doll and the first 2,500 fans will receive an IceHogs Team Photo courtesy of Johnson Press. Also, the IceHogs will present their 2008-09 Team Awards.

CRAWFORD SHINES IN SHOOTOUT WIN

CRAWFORD SHINES IN SHOOTOUT WIN

Photo by Greg Hamil
04/03/2009 11:37 AM -
MacArthur notches two goals in 3-2 win

Syracuse, NY- Breakaways were old hat for Corey Crawford by the time the Rockford IceHogs and Syracuse Crunch went to a shootout. The IceHogs puckstopper did face five of them in regulation on Friday night.

Crawford turned four of those breakaways aside as well as three of four in the shootout to give Rockford a 3-2 win over the Crunch at War Memorial at Oncenter. Crawford turned away 41 Syracuse shots to inch Rockford closer to a playoff berth.

In the opening frame Pete MacArthur was on the right end of a favorable bounce. MacArthur dumped a puck into the Syracuse zone and with Crunch goalie Kevin LaLande out to play the dump in, the puck redirected off of the glass and into the open net for MacArthur’s 12 goal of the year. The goal at 4:40 was assisted by Evan Brophey and Tim Brent.

Syracuse countered on the power play when Maksim Mayorov was set up by Mike Blunden on a breakaway and he beat Crawford for his 15 goal of the season at 10:28.

MacArthur added his second tally of the night when Brent set him up in transition in the second period. MacArthur beat LaLande low blocker side just 50 seconds into the middle frame. Brophey also tallied his second assist of the night.

Syracuse tied the game back up at 2-2 in the third period at 4:26. Alexadre Picard split the IceHogs defense and beat Crawford five hole for his 19 goal of the season and 17 in his last 18 games.

After a scoreless overtime, MacArthur, Brent and Mike Radja all tallied while Derek MacKenzie was the only Crunch skater to solve Crawford.

Next Home Game: Saturday, April 4 vs. Milwaukee Admirals. Game time is 7:05 p.m. The Annual Jersey Auction game is finally here as the IceHogs jump into “The Dark Hammy” jerseys to benefit the IceHogs Charitable Foundation. The first 2,000 fans will pick up a commemorative Dark Hammy t-shirt courtesy of Saturn, Pepsi, Guerilla Graffix, Lincoln Rent-All, 13 WREX and MedicineMan. Also, don’t miss the Stanley Cup as hockey’s most coveted trophy makes its first visit to the Rockford MetroCentre and every fan 18 or older will have a chance to win a 2009 Saturn Sky courtesy of Saturn of Rockford.

Stanley Cup Fact: There is only one Stanley Cup—Authenticated by the seal of the Hockey Hall of Fame on the bottom of the Cup, the seal can be seen when winning players life the Cup over their head. See the Stanley Cup as it comes to the Rockford MetroCentre for the first time on Saturday. For tickets call 815-968-5222 or visit www.metrocentre.com.

ICEHOGS SPREAD THE WEALTH IN 5-2 WIN

ICEHOGS SPREAD THE WEALTH IN 5-2 WIN

04/01/2009 10:50 AM -
Five different goal scorers contribute in win

Cleveland, Ohio- It had been over a month since the Rockford IceHogs had an offensive output like they did on Wednesday night. Rockford received goals from five different goal scorers to lead them to a 5-2 win over the Lake Erie Monsters at the Quicken Loans Arena.

Evan Brophey put Rockford up early in the first period to get the scoring started. Brophey followed a Tim Brent shot and banged the rebound past Jason Bacashihua at 4:12 for his 16th goal of the season. Jordan Hendry also figured in on the goal.

Lake Erie responded with a power play marker at 18:13. Chris Durno picked up a Mike MacLean pass on the backhand and shelved his 17th goal of the campaign over Antti Niemi, tying the game at 1-1 at the first intermission.

The newest IceHogs skater put Rockford back on top in the middle frame. Jeff Christian picked up a Tyler Mosienko pass in the high slot and knocked in his first goal of the season past Bachashihua at 14:39. Adam Pineault chipped in an assist as well.

In the third period Jake Dowell gave Rockford some insurance at 2:38 when he picked up his own rebound off of the back half wall shot in his fifth goal of the season. Rob Klinkhammer and Mosienko set it up.

Klinkhammer would get into the lamp lighting act later in the frame when he sniped his 15th goal of the season over the glove shoulder of Bacashihua. Adam Hobson marked an assist on the goal.

Pineault finished off Rockford’s scoring when he dumped a Klinkhammer rebound into an open Monsters net at 14:12 with Mosienko helping for a third time.

Lake Erie tallied once more before the clock expired as well when Bryan Marshall deflected a J.D. Corbin pass past Niemi making it 5-2.

Rockford outshot Lake Erie 38-32 including 31-20 in the final two periods. The IceHogs were held off the board on five power-play chances while the Monsters finished 1-6.

Niemi ran his unbeaten streak to seven straight games (6-0-0-1) after making 30 saves for the IceHogs.

Next Home Game: Saturday, April 4 vs. Milwaukee Admirals. Game time is 7:05 p.m. The Annual Jersey Auction game is finally here as the IceHogs jump into “The Dark Hammy” jerseys to benefit the IceHogs Charitable Foundation. The first 2,000 fans will pick up a commemorative t-shirt courtesy of Saturn, Lincoln Rent-All, Guerilla Graffix, Pepsi, 13 WREX and MedicineMan. Also, don’t miss the Stanley Cup as hockey’s most coveted trophy makes its first visit to the Rockford MetroCentre. Super Fan Cameron Hughes will also make his final appearance at the MetroCentre on Saturday.

Stanley Cup Fact: In the past five seasons the Stanley Cup has logged more than 400,000 miles. See the Stanley Cup at the Rockford MetroCentre on April 4. For tickets call 815-968-5222 or visit metrocentre.com.