RECAP: Game 1 Slips Away From Hogs in 3-2 Overtime Loss

Game Recap Presented by IBEW

ROCKFORD, Ill.—The Rockford IceHogs were stunned 3-2 in overtime by the Grand Rapids Griffins in Game 1 of the Central Division Semifinals on Saturday night. The BMO Center was a packed barn with 5,947 in attendance—the second-largest playoff crowd in franchise history.

After Brett Seney was slammed against the boards and the IceHogs were looking for a penalty, Jonatan Berggren skittered a shot past Jaxson Stauber to steal the overtime win in Game 1 (4:14).

Rockford scored first after Lukas Reichel dug the puck out behind the goal, and Michal Teply punched his centering pass from below the red line over Sebastian Cossa’s right shoulder to take a 1-0 lead (4:24). The IceHogs controlled the pace of play in the first period despite being outshot 11-9 by the Griffins.

While Grand Rapids appeared to be in control of the puck in the first half of the second period, Stauber stifled the Griffins' best looks, including Amadeus Lombardi’s breakaway chance at 10:28. Rockford nearly answered back immediately after clearing the zone from Lombardi’s shot, but Seney stumbled at the Griffins’ blue line on his own 1-on-1 breakaway and couldn’t find the back of the net at 10:31.

In his first game back since an injury on April 13, Zach Sanford extended the Hogs’ lead to 2-0 nearly a minute later when Mike Hardman backhanded a cross-ice pass to the left circle where Sanford sniped a wrister behind Cossa (11:20).

The Griffins evened the score with a pair of goals in the final frame. Isaak Phillips and Marco Kasper were both charged with a pair of roughing minors at 1:41 to start the third period and sent the division rivals to a 4-on-4. Dominik Shine made it 2-1 for Grand Rapids after flicking a wrister from the right circle behind Stauber (3:05).

With nearly four and a half minutes left in regulation, Lombardi netted a wrister from the left circle past Stauber’s blocker side and evened the score 2-2 (15:35).

Game 2 of the Central Division Semifinals will take place May 1 at Van Andel Arena at 6 p.m. CT.

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