HOT HOGS START ROAD TRIP WITH THREE WINS

Rockford has won four out of last five to hold on to second in West

Week 17 Recap
The Rockford IceHogs jumped in front of the pack in the race for position in the West Division thanks to a perfect Week 17. The Hogs are now three points ahead of the third-place Iowa Chops after two wins in Manitoba and another in Toronto following the American Hockey League’s All-Star break.

Week 17 Results
Thursday, Jan. 29: Rockford 2 vs. Manitoba 1 SO
Friday, Jan. 30: Rockford 4 at Manitoba 1
Saturday, Jan. 31: Rockford 6 at Toronto 3

Week 18 Schedule
Wednesday, Feb. 4 at Rochester, 6:05 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 6 at Milwaukee, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7 at Iowa, 7:05 p.m.

Bacon Bits:
-The IceHogs have tied a season high with a three-game road winning streak

-­Hogs started their season-long seven-game road swing with three wins over North Division opponents

-The franchise’s longest road winning streak is six games (Dec. 29, 2007-Feb. 1, 2008)

-Rockford is 3-0-0-1 this season on the road against North Division opponents-

-The IceHogs are 5-2-0-0 in Canada since joining the AHL

-Saturday’s win over Toronto gives Rockford a 4-0-0-0 record against the Marlies

-They are the only team in the Western Conference to have never handed the IceHogs a loss

-Rookie winger Judd Blackwater has three goals on five shots in his first three career AHL games

-Center Tim Brent (3g-2a) and rookie winger Mike Radja (1g-4a) each have five points over their past two games

-Antti Niemi’s wins on Thursday and Friday were his first back-to-back road wins since 10/18/08 and 10/26/08 (both shootouts)

-Rockford is 4-1-0-0 in the third game of back-to-back-to-back games

-Rockford leads all West Division teams with 154 goals

-The IceHogs are fifth overall in the AHL with a 3.14 goals per game

-As a team, the IceHogs have scored 11 empty net goals this season

-Brent recorded both of the team’s empty net goals over the weekend

Hot Hog Week 17:
Rookie Left Wing Mike Radja led the charge as Rockford jumped out to a strong start in their season-long seven-game road trip. In Rockford’s first game after the All-Star break, the Yorkville, Illinois native notched the game-winning shootout goal. He then followed that up with a combined goal and four assists and was +4 in Rockford’s regulation wins over Manitoba and Toronto on Friday and Saturday. After starting the season with the Fresno Falcons (ECHL), Radja leads the IceHogs rookies in goals (10), assists (10), and plus/minus (+11) in 34 games.

Upcoming Games:
Wednesday, Feb. 4 at Rochester Americans. Rockford’s post All-Star break road swing continues at 6:05 p.m. The IceHogs return to the United States and will be looking to build on their three-game winning streak. This is the only game in Rochester in 2008-09 for the Hogs.

Friday, Feb. 6 at Milwaukee Admirals. Game time is 7 p.m. The Hogs return to the midwest for the final leg of the road trip as they take on the first-place Milwaukee Admirals at the Bradley Center. This is the sixth of ten games against the Admirals this season and fourth of fifth in Wisconsin.

Saturday, Feb. 7 at Iowa Chops. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. Rockford heads west for their fourth of five games at the Wells Fargo Arena. It is the eighth of ten meetings between the two teams on the season.

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 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 Web site (icehogs.com) and click on the “click here to watch the AHL Live” icon, and for just $6, you can catch all of the IceHogs action on your computer. Also, fans with Comcast Cable television can tune in to Channel 57 for all the IceHogs hockey action this season. The broadcast begins with the 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.

No Hog Talk Tonight At Cousin’s Bar and Grill:
Bud Light Hog Talk tonight as the team is in Rochester, New York. The show, which is hosted by Jim Stone and features IceHogs head coach Bill Peters along with a pair of players each week, is on hiatus until Monday, Feb. 9 due to the All-Star break and a 12-day road trip.

Where to Watch the IceHogs:
IceHogs fans can now catch every IceHogs regular season game live on TV! Every IceHogs home game during the 2008-09 season can be viewed on Comcast Cable Channel-57. When the IceHogs are on the road log onto the IceHogs official team Web site, www.icehogs.com, and watch the IceHogs through AHL Live for just $6. Fans can also stop out to the Sports Page, located on Broadway near Alpine Road in Rockford, and watch the IceHogs when the team is on the road.

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 2008-09 season. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Rockford MetroCentre Box Office in downtown Rockford, at Hogs Headquarters inside Cherryvale Mall or on the Web at www.metrocentre.com. Tickets start at just $10.