Goalie makes 31 saves in season opener

Rosemont, Ill. – The Rockford IceHogs opened the 2012-13 season with a goalie battle as the Hogs dropped the opener 1-0 to the Chicago Wolves in a shootout on Saturday night at the Allstate Arena.

IceHogs goaltender Carter Hutton and Wolves netminder Eddie Lack battled it out for the duration to keep the game scoreless. Hutton made 31 saves in regulation to earn a shutout, but couldn’t contain the Wolves in the shootout.

In the shootout, Lack continued his hot streak in net, stopping three of four attempts from the IceHogs as Brandon Pirri was the only Rockford skater to solve the Wolves backstop.

Jordan Schroeder got the Wolves on the board right off the bat, sniping one past Hutton. Lack stuffed Brandon Saad and Hutton responded with a stop against Brett Sterling. Goals from Bill Sweatt and Darren Haydar sealed the win for Chicago as Lack made one last save against Peter LeBlanc to close it out.

Lack received first star of the game honors for his effort after making 25 saves.

The IceHogs take on the Wolves once more on Sunday afternoon with puck drop slated for 3:00 p.m.

Next Home Game: Saturday, Oct. 20 vs. Charlotte Checkers. Game time is 7:05 p.m. The IceHogs open the home portion of their regular season slate against the Checkers at the BMO Harris Bank Center. The first 5,000 fans to the game will pick up an IceHogs “It All Starts Here” calendar. Don’t forget to follow the IceHogs on Twitter (@goicehogs) and Facebook (/RockfordIceHogs).