HOGS GRIND OUT POINT BEHIND LANKINEN LOCKDOWN

Rosemont, Ill. - The Rockford IceHogs earned a point thanks to a 41-save effort from Kevin Lankinen and some late third-period heroics from Jacob Nilsson, but Dylan Coghlan pushed the Chicago Wolves to a 2-1 victory with a power-play goal in overtime Saturday night at Allstate Arena.

Lankinen’s 41 stops were a season-high total for the first-year AHL netminder. The bulk of Lankinen’s work came in the opening stanza, where Lankinen faced 26 shots, the most in a single period by any IceHogs opponent during AHL affiliation.

Chicago goaltender Max Lagace held Rockford off the scoreboard for the majority of regulation, but Nilsson tied the game for the IceHogs on the power play with just 3:25 remaining in the third period. Nilsson collected a feed from Jordan Schroeder that threw Lagace off his angle, then swung to the opposite side of the net and converted on a wrap-around.

Coughlan’s power-play winner came with 1:05 remaining in the overtime frame after the IceHogs had taken a minor for too many men on the ice. The defenseman found the puck in a net-front scramble and squeaked it past Lankinen on the backhand.

The win for Chicago marked the first home-team victory through seven games in this year’s Illinois Lottery Cup series. The Wolves now lead the season set with four wins to Rockford’s three.

NEXT HOME GAME: Jan. 2 vs. Milwaukee Admirals | 7 p.m.
Wednesday night's contest against Milwaukee is a Fas Fuel Winning Weekday. If the IceHogs win, all fans in attendance can redeem their game ticket for a FREE ticket of equal or lesser value to the next weekday home game. It is also a $2 Dog Day. For an additional $2, fans can bring their dog to the arena to enjoy IceHogs hockey. Proceeds from the dog admission will benefit local animal shelters. Hot dogs will also be available for purchase from concessions for just $2.