Troy Brouwer scored his team-leading 22nd goal to put the Hogs on the board
Rockford, Ill.- The key question Saturday for the Rockford IceHogs was ‘can they prevent a let down?’
And the answer was no.
After another emotional and intense win over the Chicago Wolves on Friday, the IceHogs could not put together two in a row as they fall to Iowa 2-1 at the Rockford MetroCentre.
Back on Jan. 4, Rockford took care of Chicago in very similar fashion to last night’s 4-3 triumph. But the next night the club struggled to find the same intensity against the Lake Erie Monsters, falling 2-0. The same could be said for Saturday's 2-1 loss to Iowa.
All of the scoring came in the second period. Perttu Lindgren stuck the puck past Wade Flaherty at 5:37 to make the score 1-0, then B.J. Crombeen followed it up with a goal at 14:39 to double that.
Troy Brouwer, with assists from Martin St. Pierre and Petri Kontiola, put the Hogs on the board with his team-leading 22nd goal and league-leading 15th power-play goal at 17:43 in the second frame on a 5-on-3.
Coming off of a leg injury, Flaherty had 27 saves and took the loss in his first start since Dec. 1. But the veteran netminder left the game with 5:58 remaining in the third after taking a knee to the face while trying to grab for the puck.
Corey Crawford finished the rest of the game and had two saves. For Iowa, Tobias Stephan put together a solid performance between the pipes. He had 26 saves in 27 opportunities.
The Hogs get to look forward to a much-needed four-game break during the All-Star festivities in Binghamton, New York. Rockford has played in the second-most games, 48, in the AHL.
With the loss, the IceHogs fall to 3-1-0-0 against the Stars including back-to-back 4-2 wins at the Wells Fargo Arena last weekend. The Wolves regained the two points they gave up last night by beating Grand Rapids 5-3 in Michigan.
Next Home Game: Tuesday, Feb. 5 vs. Houston Aeros. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. The Hogs and Aeros meet up at the MetroCentre for a second time. Come and celebrate Mardi Gras with the IceHogs as they battle Houston.