Rockford, IL - The Rockford IceHogs fell 4-2 to the Grand Rapids on Saturday night inside the BMO Center.

The Griffins came out of the gates putting on loads of offensive pressure in the 1st period. IceHogs goaltender Stanislav Berezhnoy kept the visitors at bay making 14 stops in the opening 20 minutes.

Grand Rapids broke through with two goals in 35 seconds during the first minutes of the 2nd period. Carter Bear jammed in a rebound at the near post for the games' opening goal. Just moments later, a giveaway from behind the Rockford net created a dead on chance for Dylan James to double the Griffins' lead.

Back-to-back Rockford penalties gave Grand Rapids a healthy 5-on-3 advantage and a chance to extend the lead. John Leonard cruised to the slot and found his spot upstairs for a 3-0 lead at 18:25 of the middle frame.

Halfway through the 3rd, the IceHogs broke through to get back to a two-goal deficit. Gavin Hayes set up Nick Lardis at the near circle for his first goal of the season.

Three minutes later, Hayes plastered a shot off of Trey Augustine's pads, producing a rebound for Brett Seney to stash home. Rockford came close in the last two minutes of the game to finding an equalizer, but Leonard's empty net goal sealed the 4-2 Grand Rapids' win. 

Up next, the IceHogs hit the road to take on the Griffins again. The puck drops in Grand Rapids on Sunday, October 18 at 3:00 p.m. Rockford is back home against the Manitoba Moose on Friday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. It's a $3 Beer Night and Pink in the Rink Night benefitting Mercyhealth Foundation to support Mercyhealth Cancer Institute. Tickets are available at icehogs.com.