Hutton blanks Texas, allows just five goals in four games
Week 17 Recap:
Two unlikely categories combined to lead the IceHogs to a perfect record in Week 17. Rockford continued to be perfect on the penalty kill, having now shut down opponents on all 27 opportunities dating back to Jan. 11 in Chicago. Goalie Carter Hutton allowed just five goals in four games and went 4-0-0, including a shutout, and posted a .960 save percentage on the week. Entering Week 17, Rockford was last in both areas.
Week 17 Results
Monday, Jan. 16: Texas 0 vs. Rockford 2
Friday, Jan. 20: Chicago 2 vs. Rockford 3
Saturday, Jan. 21: Rockford 3 at Chicago 2
Sunday, Jan. 22: Milwaukee 1 vs. Rockford 2
Week 18 Schedule
Thursday, Jan. 26 at Charlotte, 6 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 27 at Charlotte, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 28 vs. Milwaukee, 7:05 p.m.
Bacon Bits:
The IceHogs went through Week 17 unblemished and are a riding a four game win streak for the first time this season
Goaltender Carter Hutton turned away all 31 shots he faced against then 10th ranked offense in the AHL to earn his first and the team’s first shutout of the season on Monday against the Texas Stars
The last IceHogs shutout was recorded Feb. 11, 2011 at Milwaukee by Hannu Toivonen
Hutton has won a season-high four-straight games, all coming during Week 17
Over his last seven games dating back to Jan. 8, Hutton is 6-1-0-0 with a .935 save percentage and a 1.80 goals against average
Despite ranking last in the AHL with a 3.42 goals against average, Rockford is averaging just 1.11 goals against over their past seven games
Since the turn of the calendar to 2012, Rockford is giving up just 1.88 goals per contest in 11 games
Rockford snapped a 4-48 (8.3%) power play slump on Sunday by going 2-5 against Milwaukee
Brandon Pirri had both of Rockford’s power-play strikes and now leads the IceHogs with seven power-play goals
Pirri also leads Rockford with 18 goals, 41 points and four game-winning goals
With two tallies in the IceHogs 2-1 win over Milwaukee on Sunday, Pirri has 13 multi-point games on the campaign, six more than the next closest Rockford skater.
Pirri’s two goals on Sunday also ties him with Andrew Shaw for a team-best three multi-goal games in 2011-12.
The Hogs penalty kill unit hasn’t allowed a goal in six straight games, killing off their last 27 penalties dating back to Jan. 11 at Chicago.
Five of Rockford’s last six games have been decided by one-goal and the IceHogs won four of five of them
Rockford has scored 15 goals over their past seven games, but have a record of 5-2-0-0 during that stretch
In the seven prior tilts the IceHogs notched 23 markers and went 2-4-0-1
Rockford earned their third, third period come-from-behind victory on Saturday in their last seven games with a 3-2 win at Chicago and are now 3-16-1-0 when trailing after two periods
Defenseman Brian Fahey and forward Brandon Segal both skated in their 600th career pro game Sunday against Milwaukee
Hot Hog: Week 17:
Carter Hutton Goalie
Rockford’s netminder Carter Hutton was perfect in Week 17, picking up wins in all four of his starts and allowing just five goals in all four contests to give the IceHogs their longest winning streak of the season. The 26 year old got off to a hot start on Monday, blanking the league’s 10th best offense and stopping all 31 shots he faced to earn his first shutout of the season and a 2-0 victory over the Texas Stars. The Thunder Bay, Ontario native then stopped 20-of-22 shots on Friday to lift the IceHogs over Chicago, 3-2. The second year pro came right back the following night, making 37 saves to help Rockford pick up their first win of the season at the Allstate Arena over the Wolves. In his third start in as many days, Hutton turned away 33 shots and allowed just one goal, to give the IceHogs a 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Admirals at the BMO Harris Bank Center on Sunday. Hutton finished the week with a perfect 4-0-0 record and a 1.25 goals against average to go with his .960 save percentage.
Upcoming Games:
Thursday, Jan. 26 at Charlotte Checkers. Game time is 6 p.m. The IceHogs travel to Charlotte for the fifth of eight meetings between the Midwest Division rivals this season. Rockford owns a 1-2-0-1 record against the Checkers in 2011-12.
Friday, Jan. 27 at Charlotte Checkers. The puck drops at 6 p.m. Rockford squares off against the Checkers for the second straight night in Charlotte. It’s the last time this season the two teams matchup on the Checkers’ home ice, with the last two times the teams face off in 2011-12 slated for April 10 and April 14 at the BMO Harris Bank Center
Saturday, Jan. 28 vs. Milwaukee Admirals. Face off is slated for 7:05 p.m. The IceHogs return to the BMO Harris Bank Center to take on the division rival Admirals for the fifth time this season. It’s Pink in the Rink Night with the first 5,000 in the door receiving a pink rally towel courtesy of Rasmussen College, Dickerson & Niemen Realtors and Metropolitan Title Agency.
Bud Light Hog Talk Returns To Granite City:
Bud Light Hog Talk returns to Granite City Food and Brewery after a two-week hiatus. Stephen Nelson will be joined by IceHogs Head Coach Ted Dent and rookie forwards Rob Flick and Byron Froese. Granite City is located at 7140 Harrison Ave. next to CherryVale Mall. Fans can join Mike Peck or Stephen Nelson from 6-7 p.m. most Mondays as he chats with IceHogs skaters and coaches. Stop by to take advantage of food and Bud Light specials. If you can't make it to Granite City, tune into 1330-AM WNTA or 100.5 NTA FM.
The IceHogs Broadcasting Network:
Rockford IceHogs fans can catch all of the IceHogs regular-and post-season games on the Hogs’ flagship radio station, Rockford’s Voice, WNTA-AM 1330 and 100.5 NTA FM, and 30 regular season games on ESPN Radio 1380-AM, WTJK. Fans can also watch and listen to the Hogs on the World Wide Web with AHL Live! Visit the IceHogs website (icehogs.com) and click on the “click here to watch the AHL Live” icon, and for just $7 you can catch all of the IceHogs action on your computer. Also, fans with Comcast Cable television in Rockford can tune in to Channel 57 for all the IceHogs hockey action at the BMO Harris Bank Center this season. All Saturday home games will also be televised on My Network TV digital subchannel 17.2 along with Comcast and Charter Cable channel 16. The broadcast begins with the U.S. Cellular Pregame Show 30 minutes before the puck drops. Make sure to give your opinion during the Comcast Post-Game Call-In Show following each game at (815) 874-8255.
Tickets Now On Sale!
IceHogs individual game tickets are now on sale! Call (815) 968-5222 to reserve your seats for any IceHogs regular season game during the 2011-12 season. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the BMO Harris Bank Center Box Office in downtown Rockford or on the Web at www.theBMOHarrisBankCenter.com. Tickets start at just $7.