NO SHOOTOUT NEEDED, HOGS WIN IN OVERTIME

Ryan tallies in overtime to win it for Rockford

Cleveland, Ohio- It looked like another shootout was coming for the Rockford IceHogs. After playing four straight shootout games, the Hogs avoided the shootout when Prestin Ryan snuck the game winner past Tyler Weiman in overtime, giving Rockford a 4-3 victory over the Lake Erie Monsters at the Quicken Loans Arena.

The win extends Rockford’s unbeaten streak to a season high seven games (5-0-0-2). Rockford also played its fifth straight overtime contest.

The game was sent to overtime, thanks in part to a late Mike Blunden goal. With Rockford trailing 3-2 late in the third period, center Martin St. Pierre won a draw that Ryan shot down low. Blunden picked up the loose puck and shoved it past Weiman at 17:15 for his seventh goal of the season, tying it at 3-3.

In overtime, Ryan registered the only shot on goal. The Hogs defenseman skated end-to-end and blasted a shot in on Weiman from just inside the Monsters blue-line. Weiman knocked it down, but the loose puck snuck underneath him and Ryan had his fifth goal of the season.

For the second straight night Lake Erie jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead. While on the power play, Chris Stewart wristed his eighth tally of the season past Corey Crawford at 14:50. Then at 16:45, the Monsters struck for their second power-play marker. Winger David Jones punched his sixth goal of the season in, set up by Wyatt Smith and Mike Vernace.

The Hogs countered with two power-play goals of their own in the second frame to tie it at 2-2. Jack Skille accounted for the first one when he snapped his sixth goal of the season past Tyler Weiman at 11:02.

Troy Brouwer then deflected a Cam Barker pass in for his 11th goal of the season and his league-leading 10th power play marker. Kris Versteeg also assisted on the goal extending his point streak to seven games.

But Rockford couldn’t keep Lake Erie off of the board late in the frame. On another power play, Jones picked up a long pass from Ray Macias and beat Crawford on a breakaway for his second goal of the night at 16:02 making it 3-2 heading into the second intermission

Rockford peppered Weiman with a season-high 47 shots on goal. The Hogs finished 2-for -6 on the power play while Lake Erie went 3-for-8.

Next Home Game: Friday, Dec. 14 vs. Rochester Americans. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. Rockford is back on home ice to take on another North Division foe. Next Friday the IceHogs welcome the Rochester Americans to the MetroCentre for their first and only visit to Rockford during the 2007-08 regular season. ?The game is the second and final match-up between the two clubs in ‘07-08.