RECAP: Hogs Win Third Straight with 6-3 Victory Over Wild

ROCKFORD, Ill. – A four-goal second period led Rockford to a 6-3 victory over the Iowa Wild at the BMO Center on Saturday night. Six different IceHogs scored goals and three recorded a multi-point game. Jaxson Stauber recorded 30 saves in net; he is undefeated in four games against the Iowa Wild.

Brett Seney, Anders Bjork, and Rem Pitlick all recorded multi-point games with Seney collecting a goal and two assists. Mike Hardman and Bjork scored both power-play goals. Rockford scored on two of their four power-play opportunities and limited Iowa to just one power-play goal out of five chances.

Early in the first, Wyatt Kaiser sent a pass to the front of the goal as Seney crept into the low slot and tipped the puck past Zane McIntyer’s left skate to give Rockford the early lead (5:44).

Halfway through the period, Rockford and Iowa had representatives sent to the penalty box for roughing leading to a 4-on-4. With the penalties in play, Iowa tied the game on a breakaway from Simon Johansson (10:15).

Joel Teasdale incurred an interference penalty giving Rockford their first power-play opportunity of the night. Seney saved the puck from entering the neutral zone and brought the puck to the right half-wall. Hardman set up in the low slot and tipped the pass from Seney into the back of the net to retain the lead (12:40). The score gave Rockford power-play goals in back-to-back games.

Iowa tallied the equalizer nearly two minutes later after a turnover off the faceoff in Rockford’s zone where Kevin Conley went top-shelf on Stauber with a wrister from the left circle, evening the score 2-2 (14:10).

Iowa started the second period with a two-minute minor penalty courtesy of Greg Meireles; giving Rockford their second power-play opportunity of the night. With just 15 seconds remaining in Rockford’s power play, Michal Teply skated down the right wing side as Anders Bjork followed on the left wing. Bjork tipped Teply’s pass into the net from the left side to give Rockford a 3-2 lead (4:33).

A minute later, Rockford increased their lead as Nolan Allan sent a one-timer at the net on a pass from Filip Roos at the blue line. The puck hit off McIntyer and into the net, doubling Rockford’s lead over Iowa, 4-2 (5:30).

After an unsportsmanlike conduct calls on Rockford and Iowa, both teams would play 4-on-4 once again. Cole Guttman retrieved the puck at center ice, maneuvered between three Iowa skaters on defense, and sent a quick wrist shot through McIntyer’s pads (16:44).

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Seney stole the puck in their offensive end and quickly tapped a backhanded pass to the stick of Rem Pitlick, who tipped the puck into the back of the net to give Rockford a 6-2 lead (19:49). Pitlick has scored three goals and recorded four points in his last five games.

Rockford incurred a slashing penalty where Iowa’s Adam Beckman scored a power-play goal on the odd-man advantage cutting Rockfrod’s lead in half (12:57). Rockford’s seven-game streak of not allowing power-play goals ended with Beckman’s goal.

Rockford travels to Milwaukee next weekend on Friday, March 1 to take on the Admirals for the first time since January 26. The Admirals are the hottest team in the AHL with 19 straight victories, the second-longest win streak in AHL history, after a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Wolves tonight. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.

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 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.