Rockford, IL - The Rockford IceHogs fell in their home opener to the Milwaukee Admirals 3-1 inside the BMO Center.

The IceHogs welcomed in 6,466 fans, the largest crowd at the BMO Center since Jan. 21, 2023.

In the 1st period, the Admirals outshot the IceHogs nine to four, but neither side converted on their man-advantage attempts.

During the middle frame, the Ads struck twice. Daniel Nieminen netted the first goal of Milwaukee's campaign just past the 1:00 mark of the period to give the Admirals a 1-0 lead. Later in the period, David Edstrom found a ricocheting puck off Nieminen's skate and added another goal to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead. 

With less than five minutes to go in regulation, Dominic Toninato snuck a backhand shot by Milawukee goaltender Isak Posch for Rockford's first goal of the season.

With Milwaukee holding on to a 2-1 lead late, Rockford pulled Drew Commesso from the net. Milwaukee's Brady Martin fired in an empty-netter from the opposite side of the ice to lock in a 3-1 Admirals win.

Commesso ended the night with 16 saves, and Milwaukee's Isak Posch tallied 22 of his own.

Next time out, the IceHogs will travel to Des Moines to take on the Iowa Wild on Friday, October 9th, at 7:00 p.m. The IceHogs return home on Friday, October 16th at 7:00 p.m. to host the Iowa Wild. It's 90's Night and a $3 Beer Friday with tickets available at icehogs.com.