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SPECIAL TEAMS LEAD ROCKFORD OVER MANITOBA

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Hogs convert three power play goals in 6-3 win

Winnipeg, Man.- A night after the special teams failed the Rockford IceHogs, the same units carried them to a 6-3 win over the Manitoba Moose at the MTS Centre. Rockford scored three power-play goals while holding Manitoba to one power-play tally on five opportunities.

With the win, Rockford earned a split on the weekend set before returning home on Sunday to open a season long seven-game homestand against the Houston Aeros.

The power play put both clubs on the board in the first period on Saturday. Rockford struck first when Matt Keith found Richard Petiot on the backdoor and the defenseman buried his seventh goal of the season at 10:05.

Manitoba responded with a pair of Guillame Desbiens goals to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Desbiens’ first came on the power play when he dug a puck out underneath Corey Crawford and found the back of the net at 12:16.

Then at 17:02, Mike Keane’s face-off win went to his point man Nathan McIver, whose shot deflected off of Desbiens skate in traffic and past Crawford for his 15th goal of the season.

In the second period Kyle Greentree would tie the game at 2-2 with Rockford on the 5-on-3 power play. Greentree picked up a Bracken Kearns rebound and knocked in his 23rd goal past Cory Schneider at 3:37.

Evan Brophey later gave Rockford the lead back with his 13th tally. In transition, Keith found Brophey streaking down the left wing, and the Hogs center beat Schneider shortside at 6:50. The sequence was set up by a long David Phillips pass.

Rockford found themselves on another 5-on-3 power play in the third period and once again took advantage. Jack Skille stepped out in front of Schneider and shelved his 21st goal of the season at 4:28. Bickell and Pete MacArthur set it up.

Manitoba reduced Rockford’s lead back down to a goal at 18:18 of the third period. Michael Grabner poked in a rebound off of a Lawrence Nycholat shot for his 15th marker of the campaign making it 4-3.

But Rockford added a pair of empty net goals to seal the win. Greentree buried his second marker of the night at 19:14 before Danny Bois added his ninth goal of the season at 19:54.

The IceHogs outshot Manitoba 34-26 in the win and Crawford earned his 19th win of 2009-10 after turning away 23 Moose shots.