Rockford, IL - The Rockford IceHogs fell 5-4 to the San Diego Gulls on Saturday night inside the BMO Center.

The IceHogs struck just 30 seconds into the game when Gavin Hayes led a rush into the slot and beat the Gulls' goaltender Calle Clang low. San Diego pulled even 1-1 on the power play at 5:46 with a Sasha Pastujov blast from the far circle.

Rockford scored two straight later in the 1st period to grab a 3-1 lead. Jake Furlong scored for the second-straight game letting a wrist shot go from the high slot. Hayes notched his second of the period with 2:05 remaining in the frame off a Brett Seney feed to the near post.

San Diego earned a last-minute power play and converted with captain Ryan Carpenter deflecting the puck home from the blue paint.

In the 2nd period, the Gulls equalized at 3-3 when Stian Solberg's shot from the far corner found daylight past Rockford's Drew Commesso.

At 5:21 of the 3rd period, Hayes gathered in a loose puck just outside of the blue paint and notched his first professional hat trick to give the IceHogs a 4-3 advantage. Once again, the Gulls tied the game on another Pastujov power play goal from the far dot.

Solberg scored the game-winning-goal with 7:30 to go in regulation, beating Commesso upstair for the 5-4 lead.

Up next, the IceHogs host the San Diego Gulls inside the BMO Center on Sunday, February 22 at 4:00 p.m. It's a Pizza Hut Family Pack game presented by Pizza Hut with media partner B103 and a postgame skate with the IceHogs following the game. Tickets are available at icehogs.com.