Hogs end five-game homestand 2-3-0-0
Rockford, Ill.- With time winding down in the third period, the Rockford IceHogs were looking for a late goal to help them to their third win in five games, but the Abbotsford Heat found the back of the net first and went on to a 2-1 win on Saturday at the BMO Harris Bank Center.
Tied 1-1 coming into the third, the IceHogs killed off an early penalty and had several good scoring chances throughout the final frame. However, with just 1:20 left in the game, the Heat stormed the IceHogs net, and Ben Walter poked the puck behind Carter Hutton to give Abbotsford a 2-1 lead.
Rockford pulled Hutton with less than a minute left, but the IceHogs count not mount enough offense to garner the tying goal.
Abbotsford got on the board first with a power-play goal at 12:31 of the opening frame. Walter drove to the net and dished the puck to Krys Kolanos, who fired a one-timer from the left faceoff circle past Hutton to give the Heat a 1-0 lead.
Two minutes later, Brandon Segal held the puck behind the Abbotsford goal and Philippe Paradis forced a turnover and found Brett McLean open in front of the net, and McLean slapped his sixth goal of the season past Leland Irving to tie the game 1-1.
McLean’s tally also sparked a teddy bear shower as IceHogs fans threw stuffed animals onto the ice for the annual Teddy Bear Toss. A total of 1,221 stuffed animals were collected, and they will be distributed to local charities throughout the Rockford area.
The IceHogs went 0-for-7 on the power play while Abbotsford converted on one of their five opportunities.
Hutton made 22 saves in the loss, while Irving turned away 28 of Rockford’s 29 shots to earn the win.
Next Home Game: Friday, Dec. 9 vs. Chicago: The Wolves come to town for the third of twelve games between Rockford and Chicago and another Illinois Lottery Cup matchup. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. The first 1,500 fans 21-and-older will pick up the second IceHogs pint glass in a series of three courtesy of Applebees. Cylinder 6 will also be performing live before the game and during both intermissions.
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”