RECAP: Hogs Battle Back with Three-Straight Goals at Home

ROCKFORD, Ill.—The Rockford IceHogs topped the Grand Rapids Griffins 3-1 on Saturday night at the BMO Center, splitting the home-and-home series. Luke Philp tallied his second goal of the season since his return from an Achilles injury on March 16, and Mike Hardman provided the game-winner in the third period.

Approaching the end of what appeared to be a scoreless first period, Grand Rapids snagged a 1-0 lead and the only score of the introductory frame. Out of the faceoff, the puck deflected off a Rockford skate, and Carter Mazur snuck the disc between Jaxson Stauber’s blocker side and the left post (16:53).

The IceHogs killed off two early penalties to start the middle period when Louis Crevier was called for a hooking minor at 0:53, and Colton Dach was charged with tripping at 5:27, holding Grand Rapids to 0-for-2 on the power play.

Rockford evened the score 1-1 late in the second frame when Michal Teply and David Gust skated into the Griffins’ zone on a 2-on-2. As Teply directed a cross-ice pass, and Grand Rapids’ netminder Michael Hutchinson denied Gust’s wrister from the left circle, Luke Philp buried the loose puck from the high slot (18:27).

After Grand Rapids was charged with three back-to-back-to-back penalties—Jonatan Berggren at 3:26 and Zach Aston-Reese at 5:11 for unsportsmanlike conduct and Taro Hirose for slashing at 4:27—the Hogs went on a 5-on-3 power play in the third period.

With 39 seconds left in Rockford’s 5-on-3 man advantage, Brett Seney angled a centering pass for Mike Hardman who tipped the puck beneath Hutchinson’s glove, giving the IceHogs a 2-1 lead (5:55). The goal gave Hardman 20 for the season, marking a new career high.

The Griffins pulled Hutchinson at 18:02 in favor of the extra skater, and after Rockford cleared the puck all the way to Grand Rapids’ goal line, Jackson Cates was the first man to the puck and flicked in the empty-netter and solidified the IceHogs’ 3-1 victory (18:15).

Stauber earned his 11th straight win with 19 saves on 20 Grand Rapids shots, and Hutchinson was handed the loss after stopping 24 of 26 Rockford shots.

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