RECAP: Del Mastro Caps Off Third-Period Comeback with Overtime Winner; Hogs Win Fifth Straight

Game Recap Presented by IBEW

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.—Cole Guttman tallied twice, and Ethan Del Mastro netted his second overtime winner of the season to propel the IceHogs to a 5-4 overtime victory at Van Andel Arena on Saturday night for their fifth consecutive win. Rockford trailed 3-1 heading into the third, but three goals in the span of 1:28 lifted the Hogs into the driver’s seat and changed the complexion of the game.

Lukas Reichel and Ethan Del Mastro skated into the Griffins’ zone on a 2-on-1 in overtime, and Del Mastro blasted Reichel’s backdoor feed past Grand Rapids goaltender Sebastian Cossa (3:46).

Late in the first period, Grand Rapids snagged a 1-0 lead on the power play. Del Mastro was tagged with a roughing minor at 14:25, and Carter Mazur netted a wrister from the left circle off Austin Czarnik’s pass from behind Rockford’s net (15:17).

The Griffins extended their lead to 2-0 before the first intermission when Matt Luff went gloveside on IceHogs netminder Jaxson Stauber on a breakaway (18:54).

Nearly six minutes into the middle frame, Grand Rapids tacked onto a 3-0 lead after Jonatan Berggren directed the puck from the top of the left circle and Marco Kasper tapped in the centering pass from the right edge of the crease (5:50).

Rockford cut the deficit to 3-1 halfway through the period on the power play after Tim Gettinger was called for cross-checking at 10:52. Brett Seney angled a backdoor pass from the left circle, and Cole Guttman tipped the puck past Cossa (11:57).

Scoring three goals in under a minute and a half, the IceHogs completed a comeback with four unanswered goals and snatched a 4-3 lead halfway through the final frame.

Seney put Rockford within one goal when Guttman shuttled a pass to the slot from below the red line to the slot and the wide-open Seney fired a one-timer past Cossa to make it 3-2 (11:35).

Jackson Cates evened the score 3-3 with the second goal of the sequence. As Michal Teply’s shot on Cossa rebounded, Cates tried to clean up the loose puck but was denied on his first attempt and finally found the back of the net on his second shot in the crease (12:17).

Scoring his second lamp lighter of the contest, Guttman tapped in a centering pass from Nolan Allan in the low slot to take a 4-3 lead (13:03).

Joel L’Esperance tied the contest 4-4 for Grand Rapids after cleaning up a rebound from the edge of the crease and sent the match to overtime (17:19).

Rockford goaltender Jaxson Stauber earned his fifth straight win with 20 saves on 24 Grand Rapids shots. The win streak is the longest of Stauber’s pro career.

SATURDAY, MARCH 16 AT 7 PM: TICKET + 2 DRINKS FOR $20
In celebration of St. Patrick's Day weekend, we're offering our "Wet Your Whistle Wednesday" deal on a Saturday! Get a ticket and two drink tickets (good for beer, soft drinks, or water) for just $20. It's also First Responders Appreciation Night, presented by JM Construction. The Rockford IceHogs and JM Construction are proud to honor our local first responders by providing a free ticket to first responders along with a discounted ticket rate for any additional tickets needed.

SUNDAY, MARCH 17 AT 4 PM: ST. PADDY'S SPECIALTY JERSEY LIVE AUCTION/FAMILY PACK DAY
The IceHogs will wear specialty St. Patrick's themed jerseys, presented by Insurance King with media partner B103, and fans will have the opportunity to bid on the jerseys in our live postgame auction and get the player-worn jerseys right off the players' backs! Players will also sign the jerseys and pose for photos with the auction winners. All proceeds from the live auction will benefit the IceHogs Community Fund.

Tune In LIVE on the IceHogs Broadcast Network Presented by BMO
Watch and listen to every game this season on the IceHogs Broadcast Network presented by BMO! Listen from your favorite device, at home, or on the road at IceHogs.com and on the IceHogs app and watch LIVE on AHLTV and selected games in High Definition on 19.2 The365! Fans can also tune in on all of Mid-West Family’s local stations including 104.9 The X, B103, 95.3 The Bull, and Rockford Greatest Hits 100.5 and featured on Rock River Current, the Stateline’s premiere source for local events, news and culture.