PLAYOFFS WEEK 3 REPORT: HOT HOGS HEAD HOME WITH 2-0 SERIES LEAD
BACON BITS
-The Rockford IceHogs swept the first two games in the Central Division Finals in Manitoba and return home with a 2-0 series lead over the Moose...The IceHogs are 5-0 this postseason, including 4-0 on the road...Rockford set the franchise record (AHL & UHL) on Saturday with four straight road wins in the playoffs, and its five-game win streak is one shy of the all-time mark from the 2007 UHL Championship season.
-No AHL team won more than five straight playoff games last season, and only Grand Rapids and Syracuse matched the Hogs’ current five-game win streak...The last AHL team to win more than five consecutive Calder Cup playoff games was Lake Erie, which won nine consecutive games during the 2016 AHL playoffs (won the final game of the Division Finals against Grand Rapids, swept Ontario in the Conference Finals and swept Hershey in the championship).
-The last AHL team to begin the playoffs with at least five straight wins is also Lake Erie...The Monsters began the 2016 postseason at 6-0, sweeping Rockford and winning the first three games against Grand Rapids in the Division Finals.
-The IceHogs have scored at least one power-play goal in each of their five playoff games while also killing off 17 of 19 opposing power-play chances...Rockford now ranks first among the remaining playoff teams on both the power play (35.7%) and penalty kill (89.5%).
-The Hogs have scored more than half of their goals while on the power play, netting 10 PPGs and 19 total goals...Rockford has now recorded 57 percent of its total points while on the power play, collecting 29 PP points (10g, 19a) and 51 total points (19g, 32a)... The IceHogs also boast the top three PP point scorers in the playoffs in Adam Clendening (6), Chris DiDomenico (6) and Cody Franson (5).
-Collin Delia is 5-0 with a 1.52 GAA and .949 save percentage in the postseason...Delia’s five-game win streak is just one victory shy of matching Rockford’s all-time postseason win streak, set by Frederic Cloutier during the 2007 UHL playoffs...Cloutier won six straight starts from April 27 - May 13 (4-0 vs. Fort Wayne, 2-0 vs. Kalamazoo).
-Chris DiDomenico has points in each of his five playoff games and is the lone player in the AHL with points in four straight road games...He leads the Hogs and shares third in the AHL in scoring with three goals and five assists.
UPCOMING GAMES
Wednesday, May 9 | Manitoba vs. Rockford (7 p.m.) The Rockford IceHogs host their first home game of the Division Finals after sweeping Game 1 & 2 in Manitoba. The IceHogs have points in five straight games against the Moose.
Friday, May 11 | Manitoba vs. Rockford (7 p.m.) The IceHogs host Game 4 against the Moose at the BMO Harris Bank Center on Friday. The Hogs are just 0-1-1-0 at home against the Moose this season.
Saturday, May 12 | Manitoba vs. Rockford (6 p.m.) If necessary, Rockford takes on Manitoba in Game 5 at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The contest marks the IceHogs final potential home game of the Division Finals series.