Hogs Shrink Magic Number with Win in Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Rockford IceHogs bested the Grand Rapids Griffins 2-1 on Friday night at Van Andel Arena. The IceHogs moved into 4th place in the Central Division with 77 points and shrunk their magic number to two.

With 11 seconds left in the back-and-forth first period, forward Taro Hirose punched in a centering pass from forward Amadeus Lombardi past Rockford goaltender Arvid Soderblom, taking a 1-0 lead.

The IceHogs evened the score 1-1 halfway through the second stanza. As Rockford was clearing its defensive zone, forward David Gust shuttled a cross-ice pass to forward Lukas Reichel at the blue line. Picking up the disc in a one-on-one opportunity with defenseman Simon Edvinsson, Reichel went top shelf and sniped the puck over the shoulder of Griffins netminder Ryan Bednard at 9:59.

Scoring his sixth goal of the season and giving the Hogs the lead for the first time in the contest, defenseman Isaak Phillips jumped on a loose puck at center ice and crashed toward the net, flinging a shot past the blocker of Bednard at 3:08 to take a 2-1 lead to start the final frame.

The Griffins pulled Bednard in favor of the extra skater at 17:25, and Soderblom made a crucial shoulder save to deny Edvinsson at 18:23.

While the Hogs went 0-2 on the power play, Rockford went a perfect 2-2 on the penalty kill to hold off Grand Rapids.

Soderblom marked 19 saves on 20 Grand Rapids shots to earn the final regular season meeting with the Griffins. Bednard turned away 25 of 27 Rockford shots but was hit with the loss.

Next Home Game
Join the IceHogs on Saturday, April 15 for Fan Appreciation Night at the BMO Center at 7 p.m. versus the Manitoba Moose! Tommy Hawk, beloved mascot of the Chicago Blackhawks, will join forces with Hammy Hog to entertain the fans for the regular season home finale! We’re also giving away IceHogs team photos for the first 2,500 fans, presented by American Solutions for Business. Help us celebrate a great season and cheer your IceHogs on as they make a run for the postseason!

Tune In LIVE on the IceHogs Broadcast Network Presented by BMO
Watch and listen to every game this season on the IceHogs Broadcast Network presented by BMO! Listen from your favorite device, at home, or on the road at IceHogs.com and on the IceHogs app and watch LIVE on AHLTV and selected games on 23.3 Circle TV! Fans can also tune in on all of Mid-West Family’s local stations including 104.9 The X, B103, 95.3 The Bull, and Rockford Greatest Hits 100.5 and featured on Rock River Current, the Stateline’s premiere source for local events, news and culture.