HOGS FIGHT BACK BUT COME UP SHORT AGAINST GRIFFINS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Tyler Sikura scored with 38 seconds remaining to get the Rockford IceHogs within a goal, but the Grand Rapids Griffins held on for a 4-3 win at Van Andel Arena Saturday night and snapped Rockford’s seven-game point streak. The Hogs ended their six-game road swing with points in each game except one.

Sikura’s tally came after the IceHogs pulled netminder Matt Tomkins for an extra attacker. Adam Clendening fired a shot from the point that Sikura managed to tap in, but the Griffins’ lead proved too strong to surmount.

The contest started with a bang, as the IceHogs’ John Hayden notched his second goal in as many games 1:22 into the game, but Grand Rapids responded just 14 seconds later as Eric Tangradi posted his 16^th marker of the season to knot the game at one.

The teams played scoreless hockey through most of the middle frame before Matt Puempel gave Grand Rapids its first lead of the game at 17:44. Tanner Kero tied the game once more 4:21 into the third, but two Griffins goals in a three-minute span provided a lead they would not relinquish.

Tomkins finished with 25 saves on 29 shots, while Griffins goaltender Jared Coreau stopped 34 of 37 pucks at the other end.

Next Home Game: Tuesday, Jan. 23 | Rockford vs Bakersfield Condors (7 p.m.)
The IceHogs take on the Bakersfield Condors on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. at the BMO Harris Bank Center. The contest marks another Fas Fuel Winning Weekday in 2017-18. If the Hogs win, tickets from Tuesday’s game can be redeemed for a ticket of equal or lesser value to the following Fas Fuel Winning Weekdays game on Wednesday, Feb. 7. Fans can also enjoy $2 tacos, select beer, and companion tickets as part of Taco Tuesday. Tickets can be purchased at IceHogs.com, by calling (815) 968-5222 or in-person at the BMO Harris Bank Center Box Office.