CONNOR, MOOSE CRUISE BY HOGS

Winnipeg, Manitoba – Two early third period goals by Manitoba's Kyle Connor made the difference as the Rockford IceHogs dropped a 5-3 contest to the Manitoba Moose at the MTS Centre on Saturday night.

Rockford trailed 3-1 entering the third period, but Connor snapped a wrist shot into the top right corner of the net 59 seconds into the frame and followed it up with a 5-on-3 goal at 2:19 to post his 20th and 21st goals of the season and boost the Moose to a 5-1 lead.

Despite the deficit, the IceHogs battled back in the contest to eventually cut the score to 5-3 by the time the final horn sounded. Jake Dowell tapped home a rebound at 14:00 that saw defenseman Luc Snuggerud tally his first professional point with an assist on the play, and Tyler Motte added a final tally with 14 seconds remaining to extend his point streak to three games (1g-3a-4pts).

Luke Johnson also scored for Rockford, netting his seventh goal of the season with less than a second on the clock in the second period with assists to Motte and Michael Latta. The tally cut the Manitoba advantage to 3-1.

The Moose opened up the game with a goal from Ryan Olsen in the first period, capitalizing on a defensive zone turnover. Dan DeSalvo and Jack Roslovic each scored in the second frame to help the Moose jump out to a 3-0 lead over Rockford.

Next Home Game: Saturday, March 25 vs. Grand Rapids, 7 p.m. The IceHogs host Country Night with the first 1,500 fans in attendance receiving a cowboy boot mug, courtesy of Pepsi and Dusty Boots. The Hogs will also host their fourth annual Sock Drive with donations benefitting Project Undershare.