RECAP: IceHogs Win Seventh Straight and Down Stars 4-3

CEDAR PARK, Texas—The Rockford IceHogs won their seventh straight game and denied the Texas Stars’ attempt at a late third-period comeback by snagging a 4-3 win at the H-E-B Center on Tuesday night. Rockford’s seven-game win streak is the longest since the 2014-15 club’s AHL franchise-best eight-game win streak. The regulation win also pulled the Hogs level with Texas in the Central Division Standings. The two clubs are tied for third with 59 points each.

Four different IceHogs found the back of the net, and goaltender Jaxson Stauber won his sixth straight start with 31 saves on 34 shots.

Halfway through the first period, the IceHogs killed off Texas’ 5-on-3 power play after Colton Dach (8:53) and Jalen Luypen (9:14) were charged with a pair of hooking minors to keep the frame scoreless.

Rockford claimed a 1-0 lead with less than two minutes left in the period after a wide-open Rem Pitlick netted Brett Seney’s centering pass from the low slot (18:37).

At the end of the back-and-forth frame, the division rivals are tied with seven shots each heading into the first intermission.

Curtis McKenzie evened the score 1-1 for the Stars early in the second period after tipping Derrick Pouliot’s shot from the left point past Stauber (4:57).

Scoring his 10th goal of the season, Ryder Rolston blasted Mike Hardman’s backhand pass over Texas goaltender Matthew Murray’s blocker side from the high slot and reclaimed a 2-1 for the IceHogs (11:21).

The IceHogs extended their lead to 3-1 four minutes later after Stauber made a save to deny Michael Karow, and David Gust and Dach made their way up the ice on a 2-on-3. Gust angled the puck to Dach from the right wing, and Dach stick-handled the puck around a Texas defender and beat Murray between the pads before the second intermission (15:06).

As the Stars pulled Murray in favor of the extra skater in the final frame (15:06), Luypen stole the puck in Rockford’s defensive zone and tallied an empty-netter to stretch the IceHogs’ lead to 4-1 (16:22).

On Rockford’s first power play of the contest after Gavin Bayreuther was charged for hooking at 16:32, Fredrik Karlström scored a shorthanded goal to cut the lead to 4-2 (17:06).

The Stars tried to complete a comeback as Oskar Bäck netted the rebound from Matej Blümel’s shot on Stauber on the man advantage and made it a one-goal contest at 4-3 with 22 seconds left in the game after Cole Guttman was called for cross-checking (19:42)

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
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.