CRAWFORD DAZZLES IN SAN ANTONIO

Goalie backstops Rockford to 3-2 shootout win

San Antonio Tex.- If goaltenders got paid by the save, Corey Crawford’s weekend would have been a tale of two very different paychecks. Just one night after facing a season low 14 shots in a 6-1 win in Houston, Crawford saw 46 pucks fired his way on Saturday.

Crawford blocked 44 of them and then an additional four more in the shootout to lead Rockford to a 3-2 win over the San Antonio Rampage in front of a Rampage franchise record 10,265 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

In the shootout Rockford got tallies from Mike Radja (round two) and Tim Brent (round three). San Antonio’s only shootout marker came from Kyle Turris in the shootout’s first round.

In an up-and-down first period, Rockford gained the only goal. The IceHogs team-leading lamp lighter Pascal Pelletier was sprung on a breakaway from Brent at 15:06 and deeked out Al Montoya for his 27th goal of the season. Petri Kontiola also tallied an assist on the goal.

Crawford faced more shots in the first period Saturday than the entire game on Friday in Houston. San Antonio peppered the IceHogs puck stopper with 15 shots in the opening stanza.

Kontiola would push Rockford’s lead to 2-0 in the second frame when he cleaned up a Brent rebound at11:42 of the period on a power play. Danny Groulx also figured into Kontiola’s 15th goal of the season.

The lead was not maintained in the third, however, as San Antonio tallied twice to force overtime. Defenseman Sean Sullivan picked up his own rebound and buried his seventh goal of the season past Crawford at 4:12 of the period.

Late in the period the Rampage tied it when Jonas Anelov picked up a loose puck in front of Crawford and fired in his first goal of the season at 18:07 to force the overtime and eventually the shootout.

Rockford finished the game 1-5 on the power play and held San Antonio to 0-4. With the win, the IceHogs are now 8-2-0-1 in their last 11 road games.

Game Highlights:
Pelletier First Period Goal
Kontiola Second Period Goal

Next Home Game: Friday, March 6 vs. Quad City Flames. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. The IceHogs and Flames meet up in Rockford for the final time in 2008-09. The first 2,500 kids 14-and under will receive an IceHogs Lunch Tin courtesy of Rock Valley Culligan, Rockford Health Systems and 13 WREX.