HINOSTROZA NETS SHOOTOUT WINNER AS HOGS OUTLAST GRIFFINS

ROCKFORD, Ill. – Vinnie Hinostroza tallied the lone goal in the shootout as the Rockford IceHogs skated to a 3-2 victory over the Grand Rapids Griffins in front of a crowd of 4,373 at the BMO Harris Bank Center Saturday night.

The Hogs remained perfect against the Griffins in 2017-18, earning their third win, and second in a shootout, against Grand Rapids.

Hinostroza took the first chance in the shootout, shifting speeds as he approached Grand Rapids’ Tom McCollum before faking a wrist shot and pulling the puck to his backhand and depositing it past the outstretched pad of the Griffins netminder.

Matthew Highmore and Andreas Martinsen also found the scoresheet for the IceHogs, while Eric Tangradi and Dominic Turgeon countered for the visitors.

Martinsen opened the scoring 16:33 into the opening frame as he pounced on a rebound to give Rockford the initial lead, but Grand Rapids responded early in the second period. Tangradi and Turgeon both struck in the first five minutes to take the lead for the Griffins.

The teams played scoreless hockey for the remaining 35 minutes, despite four Rockford power plays in the third period. Rockford then fired the only two shots of overtime.

Following Hinostroza’s goal, both goalies shut the door for the remainder of the shootout. Rockford’s Jeff Glass earned his fourth consecutive win with 32 saves, while McCollum stopped 36 pucks in the loss.

Next Home Game: The IceHogs host the Chicago Wolves on Sunday, Nov. 19 for Discovery Center Night. The Discovery Center will be on-hand with science demonstrations and other fun experiments. This will also be the first game in the 2017-18 Illinois Lottery Cup competition between the two teams. Tickets can be purchased at IceHogs.com, by calling (815) 968-5222 or in-person at the BMO Harris Bank Center Box Office.