RECAP: Hogs Open Weekend with 5-2 Win over Wolves

Game Recap Presented by IBEW

ROCKFORD, Ill.—The Rockford IceHogs beat the Chicago Wolves 5-2 in front of a sold-out crowd with 6,355 in attendance at the BMO Center on Friday night. Five different Hogs found the back of the net, and Rockford won its 19th game in its last 23 contests.

With two points earned and a Grand Rapids regulation loss in Iowa on Friday night, Rockford is now just one point behind the Griffins for second place in the Central Division and home-ice advantage in the division semifinal round of the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs. With two games left this weekend, the Hogs control their own destiny and could clinch second place with two wins.

Nearing the halfway point of the first period, the IceHogs scored first and took a 1-0 lead when Austin Strand found the back of the net against his former team. Finding Colton Dach’s centering pass in the slot, Strand buried a one-timer from the high slot past Chicago netminder Antti Raanta (8:01).

The Wolves tied the contest 1-1 not even a minute later when Rocco Grimaldi slipped a wrister from the right circle behind Rockford goaltender Drew Commesso (8:54).

The Hogs reclaimed the lead before heading into the first intermission. Breaking up Chicago’s play in Rockford’s zone, Wyatt Kaiser angled a stretch pass to center ice where Rem Pitlick skated past two Chicago defensemen and dangled the puck around Raanta to take a 2-1 lead (12:19).

Extending their lead to 3-1, Rockford’s Colton Dach netted a wrister from the top of the left circle that beat Raanta on the glove side to start the middle period (4:16).

Both clubs scored on the 4-on-4 after Chicago’s Cole Schneider was called for hooking at 12:45, and Luke Philp was charged with a slashing minor at 14:0

Ronan Seeley sniped a one-timer behind Commesso from the high slot immediately after Josh Melnick won the faceoff in Rockford’s zone and cut the lead in half to 3-2 (14:09).

Just 11 seconds later, the IceHogs’ leading scorer this season, Brett Seney flew into the Wolves’ zone on a 2-on-1 breakaway with Pitlick where Seney snuck the puck past Raanta on the glove side and took a 4-2 lead (14:28).

As the second frame was 10 seconds away from heading into the second intermission, Commesso made a pair of huge left pad saves to deny Grimaldi’s attempts at the end of the period.

Chicago pulled Raanta in favor of the extra man, and Jalen Luypen tallied an empty net goal to seal the Hogs’ 5-2 win (18:13).

Commesso recorded 21 saves on 23 Chicago shots to earn the win, and Raanta saved 28 of 32 Rockford shots and was hit with the loss.

Save 30% on all seats, excluding premium seating areas, for the IceHogs' central division semi-final game against the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday, April 27 at the BMO Center.

The IceHogs and Griffins will clash on April 27 at 7 p.m., presented by BMO, in what will either be Game One or Game Two of the best-of-five series, depending on how the teams finish in the final weekend of the regular season ending this Sunday.

The Flash Sale will be in effect through Monday, April 22 at 11:59 p.m. and will be the lowest price offered for IceHogs single game playoff tickets this postseason.

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.