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HOGS HOPE FOR LUCK OF THE IRISH IN LOTTERY CUP MATCHUP
ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Rockford IceHogs celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a divisional clash and Illinois Lottery Cup Series showdown against the Chicago Wolves at Allstate Arena on Saturday.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m. and fans can tune in to all the action on Cozi TV 23.3 or Dish Network Channel 252, beginning with IceHogs Warmup at 6:30 p.m. IceHogs fans can also listen to the game at sportsfanradio1330.com or watch live at AHLlive.com (subscription required).
Matchup: The IceHogs (31-24-4-4, 5th Central) played into overtime for the fourth straight game last night, securing a point with an OTL at the Grand Rapids Griffins. Rockford has now notched at least a point in five straight games and is 5-1-1-1 over its last eight contests since Feb. 24.
Defenseman Cody Franson continued his impressive tear with an assist against the Griffins on Friday. The blueliner has points in six of his last seven games, and totaled eight points (3g, 5a) over those seven tilts dating to Feb. 28.
Franson, who boasts a team-high three-game point streak, is supported by a trio of IceHogs forwards who each take the ice in Rosemont with points in back-to-back games. Lance Bouma (1g-2a-3pts), Henrik Samuelsson (1g-1a-2pts) and Anthony Louis (0g-2a-2pts) have found the scoresheet in consecutive contests to help pace Rockford’s offensive attack.
Chicago (33-19-7-2) suffered its first home loss of the series with the IceHogs during the teams' most recent meeting last Sunday. The Wolves have not played a game since that overtime matchup last week and return to action with a record of 7-2-1-0 over their last 10 tilts.
Forward Teemu Pulkkinen scored Chicago’s lone goal against Rockford last Sunday and now leads the team with seven points (3g, 4a) in eight contests in the season series with the Hogs. Pulkkinen has totaled 46 points (17g, 29a) on the year to rank second in team scoring behind only T.J. Tynan. The forward Tynan is currently eight among all AHL skaters with 52 points (12g, 40a) in 61 games for the Wolves.
In net, Kasimir Kaskisuo is 14-13-2 with a 2.33 GAA and .916 save percentage in 29 appearances in 2017-18. Fellow rookie Oscar Dansk has yet to suffer a loss in regulation through nine games, entering Saturday with a 7-0-2 mark with a 2.61 GAA.
Next Home Game: Friday, March 23 | Rockford vs. Milwaukee
The IceHogs host the Milwaukee Admirals at 7 p.m. at the BMO Harris Bank Center. Friday’s contest is Country Night with a live musical performance from local country band, “StateLine,” who will perform both pre and postgame on Friday. The first 2,500 fans in attendance can also complete their “Our Town, Our Team” bobblehead series with a free bobblehead of current Green Bay Packers defensive end and Rockford native, Dean Lowry.
