Rockford, IL - Consistent scoring from the Iowa Wild proved to be the difference-maker in the BMO Center, as the Rockford IceHogs endured a 5-2 loss on their home ice. 

The Wild got the scoring started in the 1st. Halfway through the period, an IceHogs turnover gave Justin Kirkland space on the right-side boards and dropped a pass to a cutting Arthur Kaliyev. Kaliyev made his move and whipped a shot into the top left corner to make it a 1-0 Iowa lead, which they held into the first intermission.

Rockford came out of the intermission with intensity on the offensive front. Just past the 6:00 mark of the 2nd, A.J. Spellacy patiently skated around the left dot before firing a pass across the ice to Cavan Fitzgerald. With Kevin Lombardi skating across the front of the Iowa crease, Fitzgerald whipped a shot attempt that deflected off Fitzgerald and past Iowa goaltender William Rousseau to tie the game 1-1. 

With four minutes remaining in the second, the IceHogs went on the power play. After some missed offensive chances, the IceHogs lost control of the puck at center ice. The puck deflected slowly towards IceHogs goalie Stanislav Berezhnoy, which caused him to skate all the way towards the blue line. Shortly after corralling the puck, Berezhnoy lost control and turned it over to Iowa's Rieger Lorenz. Lorenz immediately shot at an uncovered IceHogs net and gave the Wild a 2-1 lead.

Tensions grew between both sides afterwards, with four 5-minute majors awarded in less than 60 seconds of game time. First, it was Spellacy dropping the gloves with Iowa's Jagger Joshua. After the Rockford rookie dropped the gloves, veteran Connor Mackey got into a tilt of his own with Wild captain Mason Shaw. The 2nd period closed with pushing and shoving at center ice, and with the Wild holding a 2-1 lead. 

Early in the 3rd, Iowa added on some insurance. The Wild moved quickly into the offensive zone, with the puck eventually finding the stick of Riley Heidt. Heidt sent a low shot under Berezhnoy's right arm to give Iowa a two-goal lead. 

The IceHogs responded nine minutes later. On an Iowa power play, the shorthanded Hogs made a stop in the defensive zone. Landon Slaggert jolted up the ice and had a one-on-one with Rousseau after a well-placed Spellacy pass. Slaggert deked, then went between Rousseau's legs to bring the IceHogs back within a goal. 

Iowa controlled their emotions and continued a balanced attack. With the puck in scoring position, the Wild got multiple cracks at Berezhnoy. Iowa's Charlie Stramel controlled a rebound and cashed in from close range to make it 4-2 Wild with less than four minutes to go.

Just over a minute later, Gavin Hayes shot at a sharp angle on the left side of Rousseau. The puck deflected powerfully off what appeared to be the top of the inner netting. Upon review, the puck bounced off the bottom of the crossbar and never crossed the goal line. The IceHogs were not awarded a goal. 

Dylan Gambrell added insurance for the Wild with an empty-netter to give Iowa the 5-2 win. The IceHogs split the weekend at home.

The Rockford IceHogs will play in Grand Rapids on Wednesday versus the Griffins, before returning home on Friday, November 13th against Milwaukee. It's a $3 Beer Friday, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m. You can purchase tickets at icehogs.com