Shaw scores a pair of goals in 5-3 loss
Rosemont, Ill.- Falling behind 4-0 isn’t the best recipe for success and the Rockford IceHogs found that out on Thursday against the Chicago Wolves. The four-goal deficit resulted in the IceHogs third straight loss, this one a 5-3 defeat at the Allstate Arena.
Down 4-0 late in the second period, Rockford got a goal back while on a power play late in the middle frame. Andrew Shaw picked up a Joe Lavin rebound and beat Matt Climie over the shoulder for his tenth marker of the season at 18:35 to make it 4-1.
In the third period, Rockford struck twice early to pull within a goal. Shaw picked up a Ben Youds pass behind the Wolves goal and tucked his second marker of the night past Climie at 2:50 of the final frame.
Then at 7:14 of the third period, Shawn Lalonde would make it a one goal game. Off of a face-off win in the Wolves zone Brian Connelly found Lalonde with a cross-ice pass and he slapped home his second goal of the season past Climie to make it 4-3.
But with Alec Richards on the bench in favor of the extra attacker, Stefan Schneider sent a puck from the Wolves zone, the length of the ice and into the empty Rockford net to seal the game at 19:26 of the third period.
Chicago struck early on in period one with their first shot on goal of the game. Darren Haydar led a two on-one rush and found Tim Miller backdoor and the winger knocked in his eighth goal of the season at 1:06 of the first period past Carter Hutton who started the game.
Later in the first frame Chicago extended their lead to 2-0 on the power play. Kevin Connauton drove a slap shot through traffic and past Hutton at 14:29 for his ninth goal of the season. The lead was pushed to 3-0 when Nolan Baumgartner blasted his first goal of the season over the left shoulder of Hutton at 17:36 on the advantage.
Richards replaced Hutton in goal in the second period and the Wolves got to him at 15:42. Schneider’s shot from the right face-off circle was kicked away by Richards, but into the slot where Antoine Roussel picked up the loose puck and wristed home his second goal of the season at 15:42.
Richards took the loss despite allowing just one goal on 21 shots faced. Climie made 35 saves to earn the win.
Next Home Game: Friday, Dec. 30 vs. Charlotte. Game time is 7:05 p.m. The Rockford IceHogs battle the Charlotte Checkers in the Forest City for the second time this season. It’s also kids jersey night, as the first 1,000 kids 14 and under will receive an IceHogs kids jersey, sponsored by Rockford Orthopedic.
For every goal that the Rockford IceHogs score in 2011-12, IceHogs head coach Ted Dent will make a donation to children’s cancer research. BMO Harris Bank will also make a donation for every goal to the “BMO Harris Bank Goals For Grades”